Naughty Newborn
by Phoenixhp5t3
Summary: Newborn vampire, Bella breaks Carlisle's biggest rule for her and doesn't get caught. The guilt of what she did though becomes too much and eventually she's forced to confess to her dad what she did and suffer the consequences. WARNING: contains disciplinary spanking!
1. Chapter 1

**Naughty Newborn**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Twilight

**Warning:** This story will contain disciplinary _**SPANKING**_of a teenage vampire, so if this bothers you, then _**DON'T READ OR FLAME**_**!**

**A/N: **Hey everybody! First off, I'm going to apologize that this story isn't _Past and Present. _This story came to me one day and wouldn't leave me until I wrote it. No worries though, now that I've got it out of my system I can go back to working on _Past and Present_. It's at least at the halfway point, if not further, but knowing me it'll still be some time before it comes out. Sorry. I'll do my best to write faster.

So, this story revolves around newborn vampire Bella. She has been a vampire for about 8 months now and gets herself into some trouble. This is AU from the series because _Breaking Dawn_ will have basically never happened. Bella was turned shortly after graduation, there was a wedding, but no honeymoon and no Renesmee. Also, Bella is not some super newborn with freakish control. That won't work for my story. And the Cullens are living somewhere in Alaska. Enjoy!

**Chapter 1: Unsupervised Hunting**

**Bella's POV:**

I flopped down onto my bed in complete and utter boredom. I was home, totally alone and bored out of my mind. Dad was at work and Mom had been gone the past week with Rosalie and Alice in New York City. I had really wanted to go with them even though it was going to be mostly shopping. I'd never been to New York and they had awesome museums and Broadway plays that I really wanted to see. I hadn't been allowed to go, of course because I had yet to get my thirst under control, or at least that's what Dad felt. What did he know though? At least they were all coming back tomorrow, and although Edward and my siblings would be attending school come Monday, Mom would at least be here to keep me company.

The sunlight shone in my room and I extended my arm into it, still fascinated by the way my skin sparkled like diamonds. Roving my eyes about the room I then smiled at all the colors and textures I could now see. How wonderful my new senses were! Everything was so much brighter and vivid now, new colors that I could never have even imagined surfacing. I could hear the swaying of the branches, the chattering of squirrels and the squawking of a bird, followed by the beat of its wings as it took flight. The scents of my room, the house, and from outside wafted through my nose, venom flooding into my mouth as I caught the scent of a deer. I was surprised to smell one so close as most animals instinctively knew to stay far away from our house. My throat began to ache and I swallowed back the venom. I couldn't leave the house, so I forced the scent out of my mind, focusing instead on my current predicament of mind numbing boredom.

I wished Edward was here, I thought sourly, but he was at the hospital with Dad getting his required community service hours for school. The entire school was given some project on the importance of giving back to the community so all my siblings had to partake in this as well. Alice and Rosalie had taken care of their hours before break, but Edward and my brothers had waited to the last minute. Edward had chosen the hospital because he'd get to spend some time with Dad, which these days was a hard thing to do, and because he had two medical degrees. Jasper had chosen to work at a retirement home, and I was at first surprised until he had told me that the scent of the elderly was the least potent to him, and he enjoyed using his gift and charm to help people. Emmett's choice was to help out at an orphanage as basically a baby sitter. He helped watch the kids, entertaining them with games, movies, and extravagant stories. It was the perfect role for him, and he too seemed to really enjoy what he did.

I let out a sigh, sitting up and staring about my room for something to do. The boys had been doing their community service all week, leaving in the morning and coming back in the evening, so I only got to really spend time with any of them during the night. If they'd just spread out their hours during the past two months like my sisters had done they wouldn't have had to go for so long and leave me all alone for all these darn hours. My mind was restless. I was going stir crazy. I wanted to be out and about. I wanted to go into town and wander. I wanted to talk to people outside my immediate family. I wanted to test myself. I wanted to prove that I was ready to be around humans. The quicker I could prove this to Dad, the quicker he'd let me go out with Edward and my siblings, and-and, hell, the sooner I'd even get to go to school! Anything would beat sitting here and doing nothing.

Standing up abruptly I walked over towards my window and stared longingly out into the forest. I would've thought that after eight months Dad would at least trust me to go out into the woods alone. I mean there were _never_ any humans out there so there was no need for him to fear a slip up. I could be trusted, didn't he know that? Did he forget how responsible and mature I was? I wouldn't get into trouble out there! I could hunt on my own. I didn't need at least two escorts with me just to go for a run.

I was an independent young woman and I _needed_ my freedom! The overprotectiveness of my family was stifling me. And it wasn't only my parents who were strict, it was my siblings and even Edward as well! My siblings at least sympathized with my restlessness, but they just urged me to have patience. They kept telling me that with time I'd get back my freedoms, but I was tired of waiting! I felt I was ready to be out around humans, but they all disagreed. I'd done just fine the two times I'd come across them. A delivery man came to our door once unexpectedly and while I obviously didn't answer the door, I was in the house when my mother did and I didn't turn into a monster and try to kill him. My throat had ached horribly, and it had been a rough mental battle but I had persevered. The second time happened when I'd been out hunting with Dad and Edward. I had unknowingly strayed close to town, and there had been a couple of teenagers fooling around on the outskirts of the woods. I had only gotten a single whiff of them when Dad and Edward were dragging me away. I hadn't fought them at all, and while I had looked at the incident as a success, _Dad_ had looked at it as too close a call.

If only they'd just let me practice or something. If they'd just take me closer to town more and more, then I could grow accustomed to human scents and learn how to ignore them as my family did. I'd brought this up with Dad, but he had shot me down. He'd given me a sympathetic, understanding look before point blank telling me I wasn't ready. I hadn't appreciated his kind eyes or his words so I had loudly growled at him only to fall completely silent when he growled right back. He'd scolded me and warned me not to growl at him before sending me to my room to cool down. Not having appreciated him treating me like a child throwing a tantrum, I… well, I stormed out like a child throwing a tantrum, slamming his office door so hard it flew off the hinges and crashed into the opposite wall narrowly missing Dad who'd had the good sense to move out of the way.

I'd stared at the damage I caused in open mouthed astonishment, not having intended for that to have happened at all. Anger completely gone I barely had time to register that I may have gone a bit too far when Dad appeared right in front of me, bent me over, tucking me under his left arm before he began to spank me right there in the hallway. Emmett, Rosalie, and Alice who'd appeared in the hallway when they heard the breaking of the door thankfully dispersed while I received my punishment, but it was still embarrassing.

Dad only gave me twenty swats, so while it had hurt I was really more embarrassed and ashamed by the whole incident than anything. I had expected much worse, but Dad explained afterwards that he knew I hadn't meant to destroy his door, and that he understood how frustrated and cooped up I was feeling. His merciful attitude extended only so far though, and after lecturing me on learning to control my temper and strength and sentencing me to my room for the rest of the day he gave me a very strict warning. He said, "Isabella, listen closely because I want you to take this warning to heart. You are not ready to be among humans. You are not ready to hunt alone or be outside unsupervised. I'm sorry, I truly am that this causes you distress, but that's just the way it is. If you break my rules—If you at any point leave this house on your own I _will_ take my belt to you, _is that understood_?"

I'd of course given him my word, and two months afterwards I'd yet to break it, fear of his belt proving to be quite the motivator; but it was getting harder and harder. I'd been good. I'd stopped complaining and pestering him and Mom about taking me out. I'd followed all the rules, but still they didn't trust me. Still they treated me like I'd just woken up to this life. I'd talked to Edward about this and he'd offered to talk to Dad, but I'd told him not to. I didn't want Dad to think I was complaining once more. I wanted him to know that I was being mature, at least that was what I used to feel.

Right now I was fed up. I'd been left stewing here all week _all by myself_ practically while they got to go out and have fun! I was tired of this! I was tired of being treated like a toddler who needed to be constantly babysat!

I stared out my open window, taking in another huge breath. A myriad of scents enveloped my senses and as I watched the trees sway it was as though they were beckoning me. I could do this. I could go out just for a little bit. I could go out for a quick hunt, just to prove everybody wrong. I was due for a hunt tonight anyways. Wouldn't they be proud that I'd been able to go on my own? I would show them that I could be trusted and that they no longer had to watch over me. I had good control. And maybe, maybe I'd even go near town and start to test myself. Only for a little while, of course. That couldn't hurt anything; and wouldn't they all be impressed once they realized how great my control was?

Without realizing it, I found myself perched on the windowsill, my legs bent and tensed, ready to send me out into the open. Freedom, I thought, complete freedom. There would be no one to watch me or make me feel like I was dangerous. I would show them. I would show them all.

I jumped, landing with a quiet thud on the ground. I was breathing heavily from the excitement. There was a whole world out there for me to explore all on my own. I smiled wildly, letting out a laugh before racing into the woods. I zigzagged through the trees before climbing up one and beginning to hop from branch to branch. I let out whoops and yells as I tested out my strength, speed and agility. I had no destination or plan in my mind anymore as I was feeling so exhilarated from my sudden freedom. Aside from my first hunt I hadn't really had a chance to fully test out my new vampire abilities. My family was always so preoccupied with making sure I didn't go slaughtering humans to really play around when they took me out. Emmett was actually my favorite person to go out with, besides Edward of course, because he would always play games with me, like tag, but whoever else went out with us would usually convince us to stop as it'd be too easy for us to come across humans without realizing it as we played.

I continued to run around, staring at everything with child-like wonder. I inhaled new scents, saw everything with new eyes, and even touched everything I came across. In the back of my mind I realized I was behaving like a child let outside to play after being cooped up on a rainy day but I didn't really care. I decided at some point to go hunting, but I was going to wait until I found a carnivore. They tasted so much better than the deer or moose I usually settled with. Mmmm, hopefully I'll be able to find a bear. They were definitely my favorite!

This time when I raced through the forest it was with purpose. I took deep breaths, hoping to catch the scent of a bear, disappointed time after time when I caught the scent of a deer or moose, and even a wolf. I refused to hunt wolves due to my friendship with Jacob. I'd tried to hunt one once, but upon first sight of it all I could think about was Jacob in wolf form.

I hadn't been paying any attention to my location so I was immensely surprised when I began to hear the chatter of humans. Their scents immediately enveloped me and I subconsciously found myself walking towards them. Stop it, I told myself, but the suddenly fierce burning in my throat pushed rational thought out of my mind. I was so thirsty. It'd been days since I'd last hunted and wow, those scents smelled better than any animal, even a bear ever could. Venom flooded my mouth as I began to get closer. I could hear the motors of their trucks, the sound of a saw ripping through a tree along with a thud and then yells. The sudden cry of pain brought my human mind back to the present, but with it came my human instincts and the urge to help. Without thought I now began to race towards the men intent on helping them out. I was just able to see them when the scent of blood hit me and all sense of rational thought left me.

I was no longer Bella. I was no longer even a person. I was just a creature. I was an instinct. I was so thirsty and that was the most appetizing scent I had ever smelled in my life. I had to have it. I could already imagine the sweet nectar flowing down my throat.

Looking at the scene before me I saw 10 men. Two were on the ground injured, four more sitting with them while the other four rushed to get help. This would be easy, far too easy. I would snap all their necks in less than a minute before quenching this aching thirst. It would be heaven, I thought with a moan.

I had only taken a few more steps closer to them when I heard someone behind me yell out, "Bella? Bella, what the hell are you doing here?! Get away from them!"

I whirled around, immediately crouching down and letting out a warning growl as I saw another vampire.

"They're _mine_!" I snarled furiously, eyeing the vampire up and down.

"Bella, it's me Emmett, your brother," the vampire stated softly, his hands held up in a placating manner. "I don't want to fight you, but you have to come with me. Those are humans. You don't want to do this, trust me. Take my hand," he stated, taking two steps closer to me. I growled even more loudly, not understanding what he was talking about. He took a few steps back, hands still held up in surrender. He began to speak once more, but I ignored his words, taking in instead his posture. He was not here to fight. He had backed down. Satisfied he would not interfere, I turned around and took off for my prey.

"Bella, NO!" the vampire yelled, and I whirled around once more just in time to see him as he tackled me to the ground. Filled with sudden rage, I let out a roar attempting to land a bite on my opponent, but he moved his arm out of the way at the last second, somehow able to maneuver us so that his huge arms were wrapped around my torso. I wriggled, kicking and growling, basically doing everything in my power to escape his grasp as he slowly began to pull me away from my prey. I managed to escape his grasp twice, the second time landing quite the uppercut to his face, but he still managed to grab hold of me. By this point we'd attracted the attention of the humans and a few curious ones were beginning to make their way towards us to see what all the noise was about. The satisfaction of watching my prey walk towards me distracted me long enough for the vampire to haul himself to his feet with me in his arms and run away.

I once more let out a ferocious roar as I attempted to break away, but it was impossible. Even with my newborn strength this vampire's grip was too strong. He ran with me in his arms, whispering into my ear, "Bella, hey, it's alright, it's alright. I've got you. Big brother Em has got you. Everythings alright now. Come back to me, baby sis, come back to me." The farther we got away the more I began to listen and the more the vampire in me began to recede. Rational Bella came back and I immediately ceased my struggling, beginning to gasp as I tried desperately to hold back the sobs that wanted to take over.

Oh my god, what just happened? What did I almost do?

"Hey now, hey now, Tiger, it's alright," Emmett spoke soothingly, coming to a stop and letting me go. I immediately fell on my hands and knees, tears welling up in my eyes as I gripped fistfuls of dirt. Emmett rubbed my back comfortingly, continuing to whisper how everything was alright now until I eventually managed to bring myself under control. I didn't want to break down in front of him. I wasn't going to break down. I shakily got to my feet, having no idea how to process what just happened. I pushed the near catastrophe to the back of my head, not at all equipped to deal with it at this moment before turning towards my brother. His hand was on my shoulder, and he was giving me a concerned look.

"You alright? I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked, and I shook my head, mumbling, "I'm fine." He looked skeptical, but said nothing. Releasing his hold on me he let out a huge sigh, running a hand through his dark curls as he said, "Damn kid, what the hell?"

I let out a short laugh, having no idea why I found his question funny. He didn't seem to get it either for his concern seemed to deepen. He rocked back and forth on his heels, rubbing the back of his neck, obviously unsure of what to say.

"Bella, are you sure you're okay? Do you wanna talk about"—

"I'm fine," I interrupted in a sharp tone, "let's just go home."

Emmett stared at me, biting his lip as he thought something over before he let out a frustrated sigh. "You need to hunt first," he responded, looking me up and down with a critical eye. "You look like hell and I can't afford you losing control on our way home. Those workers weren't the only ones I came across today. They're all over these woods and, jeez, we're sure lucky I came upon you when I did."

I ignored his words, shaking my head as I said, "I don't need to hunt, Emmett, I just want to go home."

My brother frowned, shaking his head back at me. "No Bella, didn't you hear what I just said? You need to hunt right now. I barely managed to get you away from those humans back there. I don't want that to happen again. You're thirsty so it'll be easier to maintain your control if you're full."

I frowned right back at him, glaring now at his insistence. "I don't want to hunt Emmett, I'm fine!" I snapped heatedly. "I just want to go home!" I was in near tears once more. I was angry and fighting back extreme guilt. I didn't want to hunt. I wanted to go home and crawl into my bed and never come out. I didn't want to let my vampire self out and let it take over once more. What if I couldn't control it anymore? What if I hurt Emmett?

Emmett began glaring, his arms crossing as he sported a stern look. He looked extraordinarily like Dad right now, which caused a spasm of fear to course through me, my stomach feeling suddenly queasy. "You are going to hunt first, and then we'll go home, you got it, sis? I'm not playing around here. Do you not realize how close you came to killing all those humans? If I hadn't been there, do you have any idea what would've happened?"

I began to tremble at his words, feeling even more sick to my stomach before snapping back, "Don't you dare try and lecture me, Emmett! You have no right, so just leave me alone! I'm going home!" And with that I began to run, but I was only able to get a few feet away before Emmett was there gripping my arm.

I growled lowly at him in warning before frostily demanding he let me go. He just shook his head before saying, "I have every right to lecture you if you're going to act this stupid, Bella. What the hell were you doing out here on your own anyway? I oughta take you to Pops right now so he can tan your idiotic hide. Now, are you gonna go hunting or am I gonna have to call in reinforcements?" he questioned, taking his cell out of his pocket.

My eyes widened at his threat and action, and in a sudden burst of anger and panic I shoved my brother away from me with all my strength. "Oomph!" he gasped as he went flying, and I took off running, not sure where I was going to go. Tears were starting to blur my vision as I heard Emmett yell out, "Bella, wait! Dammit, there's humans in that direction!" I had enough sense to start running in a different direction but my split second of indecision on which way to go allowed my determined brother enough time to once more get his strong arms wrapped around me.

"Let me go!" I screamed, beginning to feel even more panicked. I didn't want him to take me to Dad. I didn't want anybody to find out. They'd all be so disappointed in me. They'd hate me.

"Bella, stop this," Emmett ground out as he attempted to keep me in his grasp. "Calm down."

"No!" I yelled, throwing my head back and butting him in the head.

"Sh*t!" Emmett yelped, but he did not release his hold. "Stop this right now, I mean it Bella!"

I responded with another head butt and that was when my big brother finally had enough. He let out a growl before screaming, "_Enough_!" as he landed three blistering smacks on my rear.

I let out a shout of pain, both my hands flying to my bottom as he let me go. As I rubbed the sudden sting out I stared at Emmett with wide eyes, completely caught off guard by his actions. He too seemed surprised by his own actions because he was staring right back at me with eyes just as wide.

As shocked as I was though, or probably because of it, his swats somehow managed to bring me back to my senses once more. Looking back on my actions I could no longer hold back the shame and guilt of what I'd done and how I'd acted with him. Emmett had only been helping me and look at how I'd treated him. I finally let out the tears I'd been holding back, sobs wracking my body as I fell to my knees.

"I'm sorry," I cried out, relieved when my big brother lovingly wrapped his arms around me.

He whispered soothing words and comforting reassurances as I cried out the guilt I felt over how I'd treated him and the fear of my impending punishment. Dad was going to kill me.

I eventually managed to bring myself under control. I wiped at my eyes and nose, still sniffling as Emmett helped me to my feet. I wrapped my arms around him, laying my head on his broad chest as I apologized for how I'd treated him and thanked him for his help.

"That's what big brothers are for," he remarked with a dimpled grin as I pulled away, and I let out a soft chuckle. He gently wiped away the last remnants of my tears, and my heart warmed at the caring gesture. How I loved my big, burly brother. Never in a million years would I have imagined the relationship we now share. I mean, I'd always thought of him as my older brother, but I never thought out of all my siblings that he would be the one I would grow closest to. Not even my relationship with Alice could compare. Ever since I'd become a vampire Emmett and I had hit it off in a way I just couldn't understand. When I wasn't with Edward I spent most of my time with him just talking or mostly messing about. He made me feel young and like a kid. He helped me smile and laugh. He'd taken to calling me Tiger because he said that's what I looked like when I hunted. Nobody but him called me that, and I really liked it.

"Sorry about the swats, Bella," Emmett apologized sincerely, "I shouldn't have done that."

I waved away his apology. "Don't worry about it," I responded sheepishly, "I deserved it."

"Yeah, but I still shouldn't have,"—he began to say, but I just gave him a light shove as I said, "Shut up, Emmy."

He laughed in reply before taking in a deep breath. "So, I smell a bear nearby, you want it?" His grin was wide, and I hesitated briefly, my fear of losing control coming to my mind before I just decided to acquiesce. Emmett would keep me safe. He wouldn't let me lose myself.

I began to sniff the air, trying to figure out which direction to go in. It was a big deal for Emmett to offer up a bear to anyone, and I knew there were only two people he would do that for, me and Rosalie. Catching the scent, I immediately took off, Emmett at my side. I quickly caught hold of the bear, drained it dry and disposed of it. We then took off for a herd of elk, and I took down two of them before letting out a contented sigh. I hadn't realized how thirsty I was.

I waited for Emmett to dispose of his meal before approaching him. Now that we'd hunted it was time to head home and I was wondering about his earlier threat. "Are you going tell Dad?" I asked him nervously.

Emmett chewed on his bottom lip for a few seconds before shaking his head. Sporting a small smile he said, "Nah. I should, but I think you learned your lesson, right?"

I felt an influx of relief as I rapidly nodded my head. "Yes, I have," I responded, giving my brother a huge hug. He laughed heartily, patting my back as I thanked him profusely.

"Don't mention it, Tiger," he told me. "You'd do the same for me, wouldn't you?"

"Of course," I replied, "you just have no idea how relieved I am. Dad said he'd spank me with his belt if I ever went out on my own."

Em's eyes widened at my words. "He said that?" I nodded my head grimly, and he just let out a breath as he shook his head.

"Damn, that's harsh," he mumbled before giving me a bright smile. "Well, you don't have to worry about that, baby sis, cuz I got your back! Now let's go home and play some Mario Party!"

I responded enthusiastically, never having been a fan of video games until Emmett came along, and not to mention my new found coordination.

"Last one home is a rotten egg!" Emmett shouted, taking off.

"No fair," I yelled, sprinting after him. I noted that he didn't take the direct path to home, and I couldn't help but smile softly as I realized he was purposefully avoiding all the places he'd seen humans today. God, how I loved my big brother.

**A/N:** Awww, I want a big brother like Emmett. Isn't he just the best? Well, Bella has gotten herself into quite the predicament, hasn't she? Big bro Emmett is more than willing to bail her out, but I don't think Bella's conscience is going to be able to handle that. Let's watch and see how long she lasts before she cracks.

As always, my story is fully written and I will update daily. This is one of my shortest fics and only has six chapters.

PLEASE REVIEW!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight, not even the gorgeous ones like Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper, and Edward…too bad.

**Warning:** This story contains disciplinary spanking, so if this bugs you then find something else to read.

**A/N: **I've got a big stupid grin on my face because of all the AMAZING reviews you guys left! Glad to hear you all enjoyed Emmett. Sorry I take so long to write anything, but I don't like posting anything until I've finished a story and I feel it's the best it can be. Even then I usually make tons of edits as i'm posting. Thanks again for the reviews, hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Chapter 2: Tell Me All About It**

**Bella's POV:**

It had been two weeks since the incident. Two whole weeks. Two agonizingly long weeks. Two, well, you get the drift. By the time Emmett and I had gotten home Dad and Edward had already been there wondering where I had been. Before an guilty expression could even cross my face Emmett spoke up and admitted to having taken me out for a hunt because I'd looked so bored when he'd gotten home. Dad hadn't been too happy and had scolded the both of us, saying that we knew that I should have at least two people with me to hunt in case something happened. We both apologized, but after we reassured him that nothing had occurred Dad relented, saying that he would let our disobedience go this time with nothing more than a warning, but not to do it again. I had barely restrained myself from letting out a huge smile of relief.

I'd gone to play Mario Party with Emmett at that point, giving Edward a look to see what he thought of this. I knew immediately that he'd read Emmett's mind and knew what really happened. He waited until Dad decided to go for a hunt before asking me what happened. I'd debated over what to say before deciding just to be honest. He was my mate and if I couldn't be honest with him, then I couldn't be honest with anyone; so I told him nearly everything, leaving out the part of Emmett having swatted me. Edward would not have taken that well. He had listened intently, saying nothing until I finished. He hadn't scolded me or anything. He just looked at me with understanding, loving eyes. I'd nearly started bawling at that point, and he held me in his arms telling me that everything was alright and that he loved me very much. "It was a mistake, Bella, we all make them," he told me. I didn't even bother asking him if he'd tell Dad because I knew he wouldn't. He hated seeing me in trouble.

Mom, Rosalie, and Alice came back the following day and that proved enough of a distraction to keep my thoughts away from what I'd done. I'd enjoyed hearing about what they'd done, especially when Mom started handing out presents. She'd gotten me a couple books and lots of clothes. As corny as it was my favorite had been a t-shirt that read, 'someone who loves me very much went to New York and got me this t-shirt'. I laughed when I'd seen it, immediately putting it on over the shirt I had been wearing, and Mom had enveloped me in a loving hug, ecstatic that I loved her gift.

Everybody had gone back to school though that Monday. Dad was once more at work and I was alone with just Mom. I had more time to myself. I had more time to think about what I'd done and what had almost happened. I'd almost killed those men. I'd lost complete control of myself and almost killed 10 innocent men. I'd hurt Emmett. No serious injury, but I had banged him up enough to where I had noticed him wincing a couple times when we'd been playing video games that day. I'd felt so guilty I'd let him win every game after that. He realized of course what I'd been doing, but instead of calling me on it he'd played worse trying to let me win, but I just worsened my play. Jasper had been rather astounded by how dismally we were both playing, and he had immediately jumped at the chance to beat the both of us. His victory dance had been the highlight of my week.

Anyways, as these two weeks had slowly inched by each one of my siblings had been informed of what happened. Jasper had felt my guilt and pestered me until I confessed. Alice had seen my decision to tell Edward and had then confronted me, getting me to give her more details; and Rosalie had gotten the truth from Emmett who had been unable to hide his concern for me. Each one of them had been really kind and understanding with me, something I hadn't felt I deserved. They'd all been sympathetic, even Rosalie who'd I'd expected to lash out at me after hearing how I'd treated her mate. Emmett must've not told her how rough I'd been with him. None of them ever told me I shouldn't have done what I did. None of them brought up how foolish my decision had been or how lucky I was that nothing worse had happened. They could all obviously see my growing guilt with each passing day, and couldn't bring themselves to add to it. None of them had brought up mentioning this to our parents, either, each one assuring me that they'd keep my secret. I felt conflicted with their promises. I was relieved to know I wouldn't be getting in trouble, but my guilt was worse as I knew that if what happened ever got out that they'd be in trouble as well. Our parents wouldn't tolerate something like this being kept from them, I was certain.

So, my guilt continued to grow and grow. Mom had noticed right away that first week that something was wrong. The first few times she questioned me and I said I was fine she let it go, but when she noticed my mood worsening she pestered me until I just told her that I was upset about not having been able to go to New York, and about the fact that I was cooped up in the house all the time. She'd bought my words and turned all motherly, comforting and reassuring me that she'd talk to Carlisle about getting me out more. She praised me for the patience and understanding I'd shown, and that had only made me feel worse. I didn't deserve her compassion or pride. I'd assured Mom though that I'd eventually get over my moodiness, and that she shouldn't worry; and so she had let me be even though she's noticed my worsening temperament.

My guilt was so large that I alternated between stages of depression and anger, feeling the urge to cry one second and then lash out the next. I nearly blew things two days ago with one of these episodes by having blown up at Mom for no reason. I'd been quietly moping in the living room as I pretended to read when she'd simply asked me to help her with the laundry. I'd rudely refused, and that was when the request turned into an order. I'd given my mother a heated glare at that point, snapping that I didn't have to help if I didn't want to and that she should just leave me alone. Mom had not been happy, but she had given me a chance to take back my words, raising her eyebrow as she patiently asked me to repeat what I just said. Normally I would've been rushing to apologize, but I'd been unable to control my temper as of late so I had once more began to shout, this time telling her she had no right to tell me what to do and that I was tired of her bothering me all the time.

With those final words I'd begun to walk away, completely ignoring her order to come back. Unsurprisingly, about two seconds later Mom was hauling me by my ear over to a corner all the while smacking away at my backside. This was my first time ever being disciplined by Mom so I hadn't expected her swats to hurt so much, but they did. We reached the corner and after having shoved my nose into it she continued to wail on my poor rear end for a whole other minute. I'd been sobbing by the end of it, feeling absolutely miserable. I'd tried to rub some of the sting out, but Mom had stopped my hands and landed another scorching smack before placing my hands on top of my head. She had then ordered me to remain in this position until she let me out.

Having been reminded of my place, I did as ordered, finally being let out 30 long agonizing minutes later. I'd immediately began offering profuse apologies to my mother but she heard none of it as she began to give me a thorough tongue lashing. She had lectured me on respect, obedience, and controlling my temper. I felt like she went on forever, but my attention never wavered and I listened intently, answering all her questions with proper respect. When she had finished she had then warned me that I was on thin ice. "You had better watch yourself, young lady," she had told me quite sternly, "because if I don't see some rapid improvement in your behavior today, I will be informing your father of what occurred and allow him to impress upon you a further lesson on respecting your parents, am I clear?"

I had nearly frozen in fear at her words, not wanting Carlisle to be informed of anything, so nearly tripping over my words I had offered her sincere apologies and assurances that I would be on my best behavior; and I had. Nothing more had happened that day or since, but that was mostly because I had shut myself off in my room, avoiding any sort of confrontation with the family. I did not want to risk getting into anymore trouble, and I knew the best way to do that was to just not talk to anybody.

Truthfully, the one person I feared finding out the most hadn't even noticed anything different with me. Dad had been extremely busy since we moved here. He was at the hospital all the time, and when he came home he spent his time cooped up in his office doing paperwork. Any spare time he devoted to hunting and spending time with Esme. Occasionally he would spend a little time with us kids, but it wasn't often. I missed spending time with him, but with the guilt I was feeling he was the last person I wanted to see, so his busy work schedule was a blessing in disguise. I was able to lie to Mom, but I knew if Dad pressed me I wouldn't be able to do the same thing. He knew me too well.

It was Friday evening now and I'd just gotten back from a hunt with Alice and Rosalie. They'd wanted to help cheer me up and help convince me that I needn't feel so guilty. I hadn't killed anyone, they said, and I had obviously learned my lesson. They told me I needed to move past this, and that my attitude was starting to weigh on the whole family. It wouldn't be long, they warned before Dad noticed something amiss. I only half listened, my irritation at their sudden lack of understanding flaring up. I had rudely snapped at them to mind their own damn business, and they hadn't appreciated that at all. We'd finished the hunt in frosty silence before returning home where I immediately ran up to my room.

Edward, who had been playing chess with Jasper immediately noticed my increased distress and raced after me.

"What's wrong, love?" he asked, coming over and wrapping his arms around me. I happily accepted his embrace, wrapping my own arms around his neck as I leaned my head against his.

"I pissed off Rose and Alice," I informed him, and he gave me a small smile as he remarked quietly, "They probably deserved it."

I gave a weak smile at his words before shaking my head. "They didn't. They were only trying to help me, but I just…" I broke away from Edward, letting out a weary sigh as I sat down on the chest at the foot of our bed. "I can't do this anymore, Edward. The guilt is killing me."

Edward sat himself at my side, taking my hand in his as he concernedly asked, "What is it that bothers you so much, Bella? Why can't you forgive yourself? It was a mistake, a horrible mistake, but you didn't kill anyone. Emmett got their in time to help you. You already told me you'll never go out on your own again, so I don't understand what's wrong."

I looked into his earnest face. He was frowning, his eyes shining with love and deep concern. He really wanted to help me, but he didn't know how. I wasn't even sure how he could help.

"I lost complete control of myself and almost killed those men, Edward," I responded in despair. "Isn't that enough of a reason for the guilt I feel?"

"Almost being the key word," he replied gently, but I just shook my head. He didn't understand. I wasn't sure even I really understood what was bothering me so much.

"This isn't something I can just get over quickly. I feel terrible. I was such an idiot! My immaturity nearly led to ten deaths, Edward," I attempted to explain. "I keep going over what happened and how I lost all control of myself. I wanted to kill them all. And when Emmett tried to stop me I didn't even recognize him. I could've really hurt him. If I'd somehow managed to get my arms around him I could've killed him all for the sake of my thirst. What if something like this happens again? I don't want to lose myself like this ever again, Edward. I'm so afraid"—

"Shhhh, shhhh," Edward murmured soothingly as he placed a light kiss on my lips. I'd been working myself up, a few tears escaping me as I spoke.

"I understand, love," he responded, smoothing my hair, "and I'm so sorry you feel this way. This is a part of what we are though. We are vampires and there will always be that beast in us that fights for control any time we're around humans. You know this, Bella, but I promise you it will get easier. You _will_ gain the control the rest of us have, and you _will_ be able to be around humans without feeling as though you'll lose yourself."

I took in his words, but only felt slightly comforted as I found them hard to believe. "I don't think I'll ever have the control you do. I now understand why Jasper is so cautious. I don't have your guys' strength. I don't ever want to go around a human again, Edward, never again."

"Bella," he sighed sadly, his own eyes mirroring my sorrow. He looked incredibly pained by my words, and my ever present guilt intensified. This had been one of his fears of turning me. He'd feared that I wouldn't be able to handle being what I was, and here I was proving him right. I wanted to tell him not to blame himself. I wanted to tell him I didn't regret this change, but I couldn't manage to get the words out. I felt so tired.

"What can I do to help you?" Edward asked. "What do you need from me?"

I nearly winced at the sheer amount of desperation in his voice, my guilt nearly overpowering me as I had nothing to tell him. There was nothing he could do to help me; and actually, his presence was making me feel worse now. I couldn't stand seeing him like this. I couldn't stand seeing him so broken hearted and helpless; so, with a very heavy heart I said, "I just want to be left alone now."

"No, I can't. Please, there must be something"—Edward tried to plead, but I just shook my head, not looking at him as I kindly asked him to leave.

"_Bella_," he called out, but I just ignored him, going to lie down on our bed. He stood there for a full minute before walking out of the room without saying anything. I felt horrible, but I didn't want him around me when I was like this. He didn't need to suffer along with me. Hopefully Emmett and Jasper could cheer him up.

I lay on my bed for who knows how long, simply watching the sun set. I focused all my attention on every detail of what I was viewing because I couldn't stand going over what happened anymore. The incident had been on near constant replay since two weeks ago, all kinds of 'what if's' going through my mind at the same time. The sun had nearly set when I heard a soft knock on my door. I sighed, wondering who it could be. I knew it wasn't Edward as he wouldn't have knocked, so I just said, "Please go away," hoping that whoever it was would respect my privacy.

It seemed luck was not on my side, however, as the door opened. I felt a spark of irritation as I began to turn around. "I said go awa—Oh…," I trailed off awkwardly, my anger vanishing as quickly as it appeared when I realized it was Esme standing in my doorway.

"Um, do you need something?" I asked, turning over so that I was now sitting up in my bed.

Mom stared at me for a few seconds before answering, "Yes actually, I do." I gave her a questioning look as she came over and sat herself down on Edward's side of the bed. "I need you to talk to me, baby," she said.

I sucked in a breath, crossing my legs and biting my lip before nervously asking, "Talk to you about what?"

Mom raised an eyebrow in response before patting the spot next to her. I slowly scooted over until I was next to her, my mind trying to come up with what I was going to say to pacify her. The truth obviously wasn't an option.

"I know something is bothering you, Bella," she began, but before she could say anything else I quickly stated, "I've already told you what's bothering me. I told you it'd take some time for me to get back to normal so"—

She interrupted me, placing a finger on lips all the while giving me a look to say I wasn't fooling her.

"You told me something, yes, but I've come to realize you weren't very truthful with me. Something else is bothering you and I would like to know what it is," she remarked calmly. I cringed slightly as I looked at her, expecting to see disappointment or anger; however, there were neither of those emotions. She just looked sad and concerned, so I relaxed minutely.

"I'm fine," I protested weakly, "and I didn't lie to you." I shrunk down slightly when my mother's stare turned stern, looking down at my lap as I tried to come up with another tactic. What else could I tell her to make her go away?

"Do us both a favor, sweetie, and cut the lies," she spoke calmly, her face soft and kind. I nodded my head, still having no intent on really telling her what was bothering me.

"Now, I know something happened so don't bother to deny it. I know Edward and your siblings know as well," she told me, and I sucked in a quick breath, unable to believe they had ratted me out. My fear was cut short though when she said, "I've seen the way they've all been especially kind to you, and how they've been quite protective of you when I questioned them about your behavior. You want to tell me what's wrong?"

"No, I don't," I responded, giving her an apologetic look. "I don't want to bother you and I can deal with this on my own."

Esme nodded her head at my words before saying, "Normally I'd respect your decision, except for the fact that it's been two weeks now, and you've only been getting worse. It's obvious to me you have not been dealing with this at all. Not to mention you have a history of bottling things in until you land yourself in serious trouble. I'd like to prevent that, and that'd be a lot easier if you'd talk to me."

I looked away at her words, guiltily shifting around on the bed. It was a little late for that, I couldn't help but think. I didn't know it at the time, but this mere little gesture was my downfall. I'd been just golden until my observant mother saw my reaction to her remarks.

**Esme's POV:**

It did not escape my notice the way my youngest had reacted to my words. Her face was a mask of guilt that she feebly attempted to hide from me by simply turning her head away, but the way she was shifting and playing with her hands were just as telling. It was with a sinking heart that the pieces began to fall together.

"Bella," I requested a bit warily, "Please look at me."

Slowly, ever so slowly my daughter lifted her head, my fears confirmed with a single glance into her guilt-ridden eyes.

"It's already too late, isn't it," I stated more than asked, and Bella's eyes filled with tears giving me all the answer I needed.

I fought back a groan. My sweet Bella had gotten herself into trouble. What kind, I had no idea, and how she had managed to keep it from Carlisle or me I had even less of an idea. This explained everything though. It explained the attitude and the way she slowly began to isolate herself more and more. My dear little one did something bad enough to where she was unable to deal with the guilt.

I felt worry at what she may have done to have put herself in such a state. Perhaps she got into a fight with one of her siblings, or maybe something had happened on a hunt that they didn't want to tell us about. My mind raced through different possibilities before I decided to outright ask.

"Baby, what did you do?" I asked her gently, wanting her to know that she could open up to me. My question only seemed to upset her more though, and tears began to rapidly fall down her cheeks.

"Oh Bella, come here," I called softly, holding my arms out to her. I worried for a second that she might not come, but that fear was for naught for she promptly launched herself into my embrace, burying her head in my chest as she began to cry.

My poor, poor baby, I thought sadly. Whatever she had done had been tearing her apart, and in true Bella fashion she had kept it all inside. I ran a gentle hand through her hair as she cried, allowing her to get some of her emotions off her chest. I hated to see my child suffering, especially over something like this. With the amount of guilt she was feeling, I could only assume her offense was one that would lead to a spanking. No trifle matter would cause my daughter such anguish.

I was going to have to coax her into confessing what had happened, and I felt torn. She clearly needed to get this off her chest, but once she did punishment would follow. I needed to know what happened though. Perhaps what she'd done wouldn't warrant a physical chastisement. Her guilt seemed like punishment enough already. I'd have to see though.

I held Bella in my arms for quite a while, saying nothing even after she had stopped crying, only sniffling once in a while. I wanted to make sure she was sufficiently calmed before proceeding.

"You ready to sit up and talk?" I whispered quietly after a few more minutes had passed. She responded with a groan, her grip on me tightening as she pressed her head into my chest. I withheld a sigh at the action. This was not going to be easy.

"You will feel better if you talk about this, trust me," I informed her, keeping my voice very quiet and soothing.

"Nuh uh," she disagreed with a shake of her head, and I couldn't help the fond grin I gave as I kissed the top of her head. She seemed more like a small child right now rather than the 18 year old young woman she usually was. Ever since Bella had been turned I'd noticed her beginning to relax more. She'd always been very mature for her age, acting years older than she was, but now that she lacked the responsibility of her human life she had begun to act more her age and younger. Emmett was her main influence, but I found it heartening to see her letting loose more. She could still be her mature self, but she had become more prone to getting into childish mischief and whining and complaining. It was annoying at times, but I loved seeing how happy she was, and hearing her laughter as she bantered back and forth with her brothers over a video game or gossiped with her sisters.

"Sweetie, you know you'll feel better by talking," I spoke softly. "I can clearly see now how the guilt of what you did has been eating away at you, and I want to help. Please Bella, open up to me."

"No, I can't," Bella responded tearfully, her voice muffled as it was still pressed flat against my chest. "I'm fine, I don't need to talk."

"You and I both know that's not the truth," I responded kindly, gently trying to pull her away enough so I could see her face.

"Noooo," she whined quietly, "I don't wanna talk. Please don't make me talk, Mama. I'll be fine, I swear."

"You'll be fine?" I questioned skeptically. "Why do I find that hard to believe?" I pressed with some amusement, maneuvering myself so that I was now lying on my side with Bella lying on my right arm. With my left I ran my hand through her long hair, soothing her until eventually she pulled away enough so that we could look into each other's eyes.

I greeted her hesitant look with a loving smile to help set her at ease before asking, "Why don't you want to talk, Bella? Is it because you know you'll be in trouble?"

Bella immediately tried to hide her head again, but I kept my hand on the side of her face gently forcing her to keep her head where it was. I wasn't going to make her look me in the eye, but I at least wanted to be able to see her face.

"Bella," I encouraged when she nervously flicked her eyes back to me. Her eyes were rapidly filling with tears once more as she tearfully stated, "I did something really bad, and you're going to be so angry with me."

I felt relief that I'd finally gotten her to say something, but sorrow at what she felt.

"And how do you know I'll be angry?" I asked, and she took a shaky breath before replying, "Because I broke a big rule."

My poor daughter was shaking now, and my heart was breaking for her. I could see the fear in her eyes beginning to overtake the guilt, and I failed to understand why. What did she fear so much? She really couldn't believe that we'd hate her for whatever she did? Or that we would kick her out? We'd gotten past this stage, hadn't we? Or was it the punishment itself she feared? Was she so afraid of a spanking? She'd been spanked before though. They were no fun, but there was no need for such fear. She knew neither Carlisle nor I would ever hurt her. Had something changed since then? Had one of her siblings frightened her with some bogus tale?

"Perhaps I will be angry, but you know that even if I am angry at what you did that I still love you, right?" I decided to ask, and her eyes finally focused on me once more as she gave a hesitant nod.

"You don't seem so sure," I remarked sadly, and Bella responded, "I really messed up, Mama, and you and Dad are going to be so mad and disappointed because I was such an idiot!"

"You are no such thing," I chided mildly, upset she would say such a thing of herself.

"But it's true," she argued, "I am an idiot. I am a thoughtless, ungrateful idiot for what I did."

I bit my tongue to hold back a scolding, feeling that the best way for Bella to open up to me would be to continue to be non-judgmental and sympathetic. "Why don't you tell me what you did and let me be the judge?"

"No," she immediately responded with a shake of her head, a bit of panic entering her eyes. "I _can't_."

"Why, sweetheart?" I asked. "Why can't you tell me? What are you so afraid of?"

"I already told you," she said, but I just shook my head.

"There's more that you're not saying," I remarked.

Bella fell silent, looking down at my words, and I sighed internally as I tried to figure out what to say. "No matter what you did, Bella, your father and I will _always_ forgive you and love you. You know this, so why the fear and reluctance? You know that talking will help, but you refuse. Yes, Carlisle and I may become angry and disappointed, but you know those emotions never last. You know that even in those moments we still love you with all our hearts."

With each word I spoke my daughter seemed to become more and more upset, tears once more falling down her face. She tried to wipe them away, but they kept coming.

"Oh Baby," I sighed sadly as I pulled her close to me once more, "Please, _please_ talk to me. It is absolutely killing me to see you like this."

Bella cried for a couple minutes before finally blurting out, "I-I don't want a-a whipping."

A whipping, I thought in surprise. Why would she think what she did was bad enough to warrant that? The children had several names to replace the term spanking, but when the word whipping was used it referred to one thing only, and that was the belt. This was my husband's harshest punishment and only was used for the worst misdeeds. There was only one sure way to be subject to it, and that was by attacking either my husband or me. Any other time was left up to Carlisle's judgment.

Why would Bella feel she would be subject to such a harsh punishment? Was her mind just blowing what she'd done out of proportions? It was possible. She'd been stewing over this for at least two weeks, and her mind had probably made things out to be worse than they really were. There was only one way to find out though.

"Why do you think you'll get a whipping? Is that what you feel you deserve?" I questioned, wondering if she was like Jasper who at times still asked for harsher punishments than he deserved.

"C-Cuz Daddy s-said," she cried brokenly, and I felt completely confused now. When would Carlisle have said this? More importantly, _why_ would he have threatened her with this punishment?

"What exactly did your daddy say, Bella?" I pressed, hoping she would unknowingly confess what she had done. Luck was not on my side it seemed for Bella rapidly began to shake her head back and forth before burying her face into the pillow.

I said nothing for another five minutes, just giving Bella the comfort she so desperately needed right now. I wanted her to feel secure and safe. I wanted her to feel that she could trust me enough to open up.

When Bella once again managed to stop her tears she stared at me with an absolutely miserable expression. Now I was the one holding back tears as I gazed at her. I hated seeing how much pain she was in and not being able to help her.

"Sweetheart, please, I cannot stand seeing you so distraught," I spoke earnestly. "Your pain causes me pain, and I will not in good conscience be able to leave you until I know that you are better; and that won't happen until you open up to me. You trust me, don't you?"

"Yes," she responded tearfully, wiping at her tearstained face.

"Then why won't you confide in me?" I asked.

My daughter gave me a look as though the answer to my question should be obvious before answering with some accusation, "Because you'll tell Dad what I did, and then he'll be so angry with me, and he'll whip me just like he promised, and-and I-I don't w-want a whipping," she finished, her breaths coming out in shudders as she fought back sobs.

I closed my eyes briefly, contemplating what my next move would be. Normally she would be right, but only to a certain extent. I never told Carlisle all the mischief our lot got up to, but if it was something serious that endangered themselves or the family then I would feel obligated. I used to inform him of every time I spanked the children, but after realizing that he would always give another spanking upon finding out I had begun to keep lesser misdeeds between myself and the child or children involved, only informing Carlisle when the misbehavior was particularly egregious and/or I felt a further lesson was needed. I had informed my husband of what I did years ago, and while at first he had been quite upset with me, he had eventually let it go, letting me know that he would trust my judgment on this. He was not at all happy with my deceit, he clarified, but he understood why I did it. He understood my need to defend my babies, and he understood my need to take a larger role in our children's discipline. If I said I had dealt with a punishment, then he would accept that I had, and if I said he needed to take over, then he would.

In this instance, well, I could already tell that whatever Bella had done was bad enough to warrant a spanking. Whether or not her misbehavior warranted a whipping was inconclusive, but the main point was that in my heart I knew that whatever she told me would need to be told to Carlisle. I held hope that Bella was just over exaggerating, her own mind making things out to be worse than they had, but I had a very strong feeling that was not the case. That said, if I agreed with Bella's accusation, then she would not open up to me. She would shut down and I would be forced to take harsher methods to get her to speak or involve Carlisle; and that would involve a lot more tears and anger than necessary. If I agreed to keep this a secret though, I would be bound by my word. I would not, no matter what she told me speak a word of what she did to my husband. I didn't like that option at all, but my gut was telling me that this was the best way to get to the root of my daughter's issue.

The main issue right now was to find out what happened so that I could begin to help my daughter heal. Anything else, like punishment, could be dealt with later.

"Bella, honey," I began speaking, forcing my daughter to lock eyes with me so that she could see how serious I was, "you have my word that I will not speak a single word of whatever you tell me to your father."

Bella's eyes widened almost comically at my declaration, seemingly at a loss for words. I waited patiently for her to digest what I'd said and form a response.

"No matter what I say, even if-if I did something _really_ horrible? Even if I broke a promise I'd made to Dad, you wouldn't tell him?" she asked in sheer disbelief. I nodded my head, saying, "I wouldn't tell him." As I spoke those words I couldn't help but frown internally, guilt now stirring in me at the thought of deceiving my beloved. This was obviously a matter he needed to not only be involved in, but take care of. I pushed these thoughts out of my mind. Help Bella first, worry about everything else later.

My daughter still continued to stare at me in disbelief, but it slowly began to diminish and be replaced with hope and relief. It was these two emotions that soothed me because I felt I had made the right decision.

"You ready to talk to me now?" I asked, and Bella gave me one last searching look before nodding her head. She sat herself up, crossing her legs as she faced me. I mirrored her position and took her fidgeting hands into mine, feeling beyond relieved that this was actually working.

"When did this happen?" I decided to ask, gently spurring my nervous daughter into speaking.

"Two weeks ago today," she meekly answered, throwing me an anxious look as though I would somehow know what must have happened with that little detail.

"Were you the only one involved, or was Edward or your siblings a part of this?" I then asked, and Bella bit her lip, seeming unsure of how to respond before giving a definite, "It was me, all me."

I wondered at her hesitation. I'd gotten the feeling that all my children were aware of what happened, but if they weren't a part of this, then how did they know? "Did any of them witness what you did?" I decided to ask, and she once more bit her lips in indecision before giving a single nod. Ah, I thought, that would explain it. If one of my kids knew what happened, then it wouldn't take long before the others found out, and in true sibling fashion they had banded together to protect Bella. I filed this thought away, deciding what Bella did was more important than the fact that my children kept what happened away from their father and me.

"What happened, sweetie?" I finally decided to ask. "Start from the beginning please."

Bella's eyes filled with tears and fear as she stared back at me, and I worried she might refuse. After taking several shaky breaths though, she seemed to resolve herself to the task and I finally began to hear all about her disastrous lone hunting trip.

**A/N: **Okay, so Bella has obviously been torn apart with the guilt but too afraid of her parent's reactions and the punishment she'd face. That's why I had to bring Esme in to help give a little push to her daughter.

PLEASE REVIEW!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Twilight.

**Warning:** This story contains **disciplinary spanking**, so if that offends you, then find something else to read.

**A/N: **Absolutely BRILLIANT reviews as always you guys, THANK YOU so much! I'm glad you all liked the Esme interaction. I do find it interesting how everybody is worried about her promise not to tell Carlisle. I didn't see it as a problem, but then again I already knew what was going to happen, so...I guess i"ll let you read it for yourselves. Enjoy!

**Chapter 3: Mama Knows Best**

**Esme's POV:**

I'd taken my daughter's tale in complete silence, struggling to absorb how badly she had messed up, and how horrible things had almost turned out. I knew she hadn't told me everything. There were definite holes to the story as she hadn't gone into detail, but I'd gotten the general gist of what happened. Bella had been cooped up inside alone for too long. In a desire to state her independence she had gone out on her own and had unfortunately come across a group of humans. Losing control, she had been preparing to go after them when Emmett had come to the rescue, pulling my daughter away at the last second.

Bella had gone quiet after she'd finished talking, looking down at her lap and occasionally throwing me furtive looks as she waited for me to speak.

There were _several_ things I wanted to say, but I kept silent because I wanted to refrain from scolding or in any way judging my thoroughly nervous daughter. Right now she was in need of a friend to talk to, not a parent.

"Why are you afraid of a whipping?" I decided to ask, curious to know if Carlisle had really threatened her with one.

Bella's guilty eyes looked towards me, her shifting worsening as she answered. "Back on the day I, um, I destroyed Daddy's office door, he told me…" She trailed off, looking as though she were fighting back the urge to cry before managing to speak once more. "Daddy told me that if I ever went out of the house on my-my o-own, he…he would take his-his belt to me."

I frowned prominently as I wondered why Carlisle would have issued such a harsh threat to Bella of all people. Our children had committed worse offenses and gotten away with less. I wondered perhaps if Carlisle felt being very strict with Bella in the beginning would keep her from causing so much trouble. The plan had merit, and probably would have worked had Carlisle spent more time with his daughter instead of ignoring her. I'd recalled the constant whining and pestering Bella had been doing in order to convince us to teach her control and how to be around humans. The complaining had mysteriously stopped around two months ago and I now knew why. Carlisle had basically frightened her into submission. I rubbed my forehead, cursing my own ignorance. And here I'd thought Bella had accepted her limitations and was content to wait until she was a little older.

"Would it be safe to assume Carlisle's threat was the main reason you kept all this to yourself, Bella?" I pressed sadly, and she responded with a half nod as she mumbled, "Mostly."

Damn it Carlisle, I thought more in sadness than anger. Why would you do this to Bella? You know how much more sensitive she is than our other children. You had to have known how she would take the warning you'd given her. She has been allowing the incident from two weeks ago to eat away at her, stewing in her own misery because she's been so terrified of what you would do when you found out!

"Are you angry with me, Mom?" Bella asked, tearing me from my thoughts. I stared into her fearful face and immediately shook my head, giving her cheek a soft caress.

"No, Baby," I responded honestly, "I'm not angry. I just wish you would've talked to me or your father about how you felt. I had no idea how much stifled and restricted you were feeling."

"I did talk to somebody," she retorted somewhat sullenly, while at the same time looking incredibly relieved that I was not mad at her. "I talked to Dad, but he just told me I wasn't ready."

"Was this the same day you destroyed his office door?" I questioned, and her expression turned abashed as she nodded her head. "That was nearly two months ago, sweetie, and was obviously a conversation that ended badly. You should have tried again," I reprimanded gently.

Bella just nodded her head, looking down at her lap dejectedly. "Are you going to tell him?" she whispered, her tone turning resigned and hurt.

"I promised you that I wouldn't," I replied, "and I keep my promises."

My daughter's gaze snapped towards mine, once more displaying disbelief. "Even after what I"—

"I keep my promises," I repeated more firmly, cutting off her question.

Her eyes continued to show disbelief as they filled with emotion. "He's your husband though, aren't you supposed to tell each other everything?"

"I kept your little show of disrespect from earlier this week secret, didn't I?" I responded with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes," Bella agreed, "but this is-this is something really serious, and I deliberately broke one of Dad's rules. Don't you feel obligated to tell him what happened?"

"I do," I responded honestly, "but I gave you my word that I would keep what you told me between us, and that is what I intend to do."

"So if you hadn't made this promise, you would tell him?" she pressed and I nodded my head, "I most assuredly would."

She stared at me uncomprehendingly for several moments before a look of realization hit her and she stated more than asked, "You're going to be punishing me, aren't you?"

I shook my head, replying with a simple, "No," and bit back an amused smile at how absolutely floored my daughter looked.

"Y-you're not?" she gasped. "But why?"

"Because I feel what occurred is something your father needs to deal with. You broke a promise to him, not me. Granted, it was a rule that had already been in place for you, but I still feel that this is a matter between you and Carlisle. As far as _I_ am concerned, the guilt you have endured these past two weeks was punishment enough," I informed her frankly.

"Are you saying that if Dad hadn't issued that warning and made me promise not to go outside on my own, that you would punish me?" Bella asked, looking for clarification.

"Definitely," I responded. "If that interaction had not occurred I would be spanking you."

My daughter bit her lip, looking quite distressed as she wringed her hands together. I'd admitted to her that I felt she deserved a spanking while at the same time confessing that I would not be administering one. Instead of looking relieved though she just looked more distressed, and I knew exactly why. Carlisle and I spanked the children for two reasons. The first was as a form of correction to teach them that what they did was not acceptable. The second reason was to help them deal with guilt so they could forgive themselves. This was my little girl's problem right now, but I was certain she had yet to realize that. She didn't understand why she felt no relief and why the guilt was still there. Part of it was because she hadn't confided in me all that bothered her about what happened, but the largest reason was that she needed to be punished so she could forgive herself. Simple words of understanding were not going to work with her.

I was trying to get my daughter to realize this on her own. I was going to get her to confess to Carlisle what she had done and let him deal with this. I had meant what I told Bella. It was a promise to her father that she broke, and this was a matter that Carlisle needed to be made aware of. He needed to see firsthand the effect his threat had on his newborn daughter, and the effect his inattentiveness to her had done. Having a newborn vampire was almost like having a young child. They needed more attention, understanding, and love than older children did; and he had failed in that department. I had given Bella all the love, attention and understanding I could, but it wasn't enough. She needed the special bonding time with her father. She needed him to teach her things that only he could.

"Okay, so you're not punishing me and you're not telling Dad, so does that mean I'm not getting a punishment? Does that mean after this talk we can forget this ever happened and move on?" she asked skeptically.

"Yes, that is exactly what it means," I answered. "Now, why don't you tell me more about what happened, and what it is that bothers you the most," I suggested, and Bella rocked back and forth a little before shaking her head at me. She was looking more and more upset with each passing second.

"What's wrong, Bella?" I pressed, grabbing hold of the girl's forearms to stop her rocking motion. "Is there something you haven't told me?"

Bella shook her head negatively, but I wasn't sure whether that was an answer or just a refusal to respond. She was shutting down again and I realized I was going to have to be more direct in order for her to realize what she needed.

"The guilt hasn't gone away, has it?" I asked gently, and she gave me a nearly accusatory glare as she shook her head. She nearly began to cry as I gave her a sympathetic, loving look.

"Do you want to know why?" I questioned, and she gave me a curious look as she nodded.

"Talking is only part of what you need," I explained. "You told me what happened, but you kept the details and what you felt from me, which is part of the reason your guilt is still there." Bella's expression turned self-castigating, and I knew I was right in my assumption. "Then there is the fact that it was a promise to your father that you broke, so confessing to him will go a long way in helping you. The final reason you are unable to forgive yourself is because you haven't been punished." Bella froze at my words, her eyes widening as she stared at me. "I told you I wasn't going to punish you, and I am not telling Carlisle, so essentially you are getting off scot free. Yet, instead of feeling relieved, you've only begun to feel worse, am I right?"

Bella gave me a single nod of confirmation, silent tears beginning to fall down her youthful face. "Y-you think I-I sh-should tell Daddy, d-don't you?"

"I do," I answered her softly, "not only because I feel you deserve a punishment, but because I feel you _need_ punishment in order to move past this."

Bella began to cry in earnest now, and I pulled her into my lap, securely wrapping my arms around her as she processed what I'd said. I was 95% sure I had her convinced. That's what these tears were about. She was accepting what was going to happen.

"Your father loves you dearly, sweetheart, you know this. You've been punished by him before and while it is no picnic you know he would never hurt you," I whispered into her hair. "There is no need to be so afraid, I promise you."

"H-He'll be so a-angry wi-with m-me," she cried, and I tsked as I said, "If he is angry I guarantee you it will be with what you did, not at you specifically. As it is, I have a strong feeling he will be more disappointed and saddened by what happened than anything."

"H-he'll still l-love me?" she then asked pitifully, and my heart ached painfully. "Of course he will, Bella, _never_ believe any differently," I stated, giving her a stern look. "Don't ever doubt his love for you."

With every passing second I realized how right I was that it needed to be my husband who dealt with this. He had unknowingly hurt his daughter with his behavior, and whether Bella realized it or not, her misbehavior had been a result of her attempting to prove something to him. Carlisle's opinion meant more than anything to Bella, even mine and possibly Edward's. She had forged a strong bond with him as a human and that bond had strengthened when she had been turned by him.

"I don't want to tell him," my daughter whispered mournfully, and I kissed the top of her head as I said, "I know."

"Do I have to?" she then asked, and I bit back a smile at how young she sounded. "No, you do not."

"But you think I should?" she pushed, and I nodded my head as I told her, "Yes, I think you should."

Bella groaned loudly, and I knew I had her. She was smart and she'd been able to recognize the truth of my words both in her mind and in her heart. She was a good girl, at least most of the time and I knew I could count on her to do the right thing.

"Okay," Bella eventually stated after several minutes of silence, "I'll tell him." I pulled away enough so that I could see her face, and I gave her an extremely proud smile. "You've made the right decision, sweetheart, and I'm so proud of you right now."

Her expression turned abashed yet extremely pleased at my words, and she threw me a watery smile. "If I'd decided not to tell him, would you have held that against me?"

I rolled my eyes, giving an exasperated sigh. "Good heavens child, the questions you ask," I remarked, giving her a smile. "Of course not, Bella. If you had made that decision, then I would have done all I could to help you deal with your guilt. I would never have held it against you or held it over your head as an instrument of torment."

"I'm sorry," she then stated, and I knew she was apologizing for not only what she had done, but for the position she had put me in. "I had no right to make you promise not to tell Dad. I certainly wouldn't want Edward keeping secrets from me, so I could only imagine it's the same with you and Dad. You can tell him what I did, if you want."

I graced my girl with a loving smile as I responded, "You have my forgiveness for what happened, but you have no need to apologize for the promise I made you. It was my choice to agree. As for telling Carlisle what happened, I have no need to as you have already agreed to do so."

Bella paled slightly as she nodded her head. I knew now that the decision had been made she would need to go through with it right away because the longer she put it off, the more worked up she would become.

Giving my daughter a kiss on the forehead I gracefully maneuvered myself off the bed, pulling her up with me.

"We're going _now_?" she gasped, looking at me with wide eyes. "I-I don't—I mean, I'm sure he's busy so"—

"Come Bella, the sooner you get this over with, the sooner you will begin to feel better," I reassured her. "And trust me when I say, the longer you wait the harder this will be; although I'm sure you've realized that over these past two weeks."

Bella gave a grim nod while all the while remaining rooted to the spot. She was not going to move on her own accord. Holding in a sigh, I placed myself behind my daughter, placed my hands on her shoulders, giving them a comforting squeeze before lightly pushing her forward.

Her shoulders were tense as she stiffly began to walk out of her room. I massaged them, whispering into her ear that everything would be alright and that she should just relax. I told her how proud I was of her, and how brave she was being. I wasn't sure my words had much of an effect though because the closer we got to Carlisle's office, the more resistance I was met with. I just pushed harder, finally relaxing when we reached the closed door. There was no way Carlisle had not heard our approach, so this was the point of no return. Bella realized this as well, for she froze, refusing to move. I didn't even bother asking her to open the door, deciding instead to just open it myself.

Looking in my eyes zeroed in on my husband immediately. He was standing over at his bookshelf pouring over an enormous medical book. Without even looking up at us he asked in a distracted voice, "What kind I do for you ladies?" His behavior and tone made it clear that he was busy and not in the mood to be bothered, but not only was this important but I was also fed up with how much time he had been devoting to work as of late. It seemed like all he did anymore was work, either at the hospital or holed up here in his office. It didn't happen often, but every once in a while it seemed like Carlisle forgot he had a family that wanted to see him, talk to him, and spend time with him. He seemed to take us for granted it almost seemed, so he devoted all his time and efforts to his job and helping people. Don't get me wrong, I admired his work ethic and the good he did, but there were more important things than his job. His family should _always_ come first, but it seemed as of late that it was his job first and then his family as an afterthought.

Well, darling, it was time for a rude awakening, I thought angrily. It was time for you to open your eyes and see what was going on around you. Those humans may need you, but your family needed you more.

I looked over at Bella and saw her hunching her shoulders as though to make herself seem smaller. She was clearly uncomfortable and did not want to be here. "He's busy," she whispered quietly as she looked at me, and she was beginning to walk out before I tightened my hold on her.

"No, he's not," I spoke loudly, making sure my husband heard. Carlisle finally tore his attention away from his work and looked at us with a mild frown. He looked right at me and I graced him with a cold look letting him know that I was quite displeased with him. My expression seemed to startle him for he suddenly looked taken aback as he closed his book and set it down. We now had his undivided attention. Good.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, giving me a questioning look. I said nothing for a moment as I looked him over, assuring myself that he was up for this conversation. He looked a bit tired, but after noting his golden eyes and alert expression I relaxed before answering, "Bella has something she would like to tell you."

Bella gave a quiet whimper at hearing her name, nearly hiding behind me when my husband's gaze focused on her now. His eyes narrowed the slightest bit, his head cocking slightly to the side as he studied her. "Bella?" he asked, and she gave another quiet whimper before detaching herself from behind me and beginning to slowly make her way out the door.

"Um, you know what, I can see that you're really busy, and this isn't really important so I'm just going to"—

"Going to take a deep breath and relax before telling your father what you told me," I finished for her, gently pulling her back towards me by her hand.

"I changed my mind," she stated, giving me a pleading stare, but I just gave her a pleading looking of my own. When she just shook her head in response I gave an internal sigh before giving my daughter an apologetic look. "I'm sorry Bella, but you must do this. There is no walking out that door anymore because whether it is you or me, he will be finding out. You gave me permission to tell him, remember?"

Bella's eyes widened in realization, and her face paled as she recognized the inevitability of what was to occur. I reached out a hand to comfort her, but she evaded it, giving me a heated look of betrayal. Her eyes were filling up with tears and she angrily swiped away at the few that managed to escape. My heart hurt at her look and what she felt, but I really had no need to apologize. She had made the decision to come here, and she had given me permission to tell Carlisle what happened. She had no one to blame but herself for the position she was in, but I wasn't going to be the one to say it.

**Bella's POV:**

Hurt spread through me as I shot my mother a look of betrayal. She had set me up. She had tricked me! She had been planning on telling Dad all along what I had done. She'd lied to get me to talk to her! How dare she?! How could she?! Her gaze was apologetic and full of sadness as she stared back at me, but I ignored it as I put myself out of arms reach from her.

I continued to glare at her until I heard the loud clearing of a throat, and I suddenly remembered that there was someone else in this room.

"Whatever has occurred, I can think of no reason for you to be looking at your mother like that, Bella," Dad commented calmly with the barest hint of reproach. I immediately looked over at him, my glare being replaced with a look of nervous anticipation. Dad was casually leaning back against his bookshelf, his arms crossed and a calculating expression on his face as he stared between me and his wife. I felt my panic begin to increase because there was no way he didn't know why I was here. After that little conversation with Mom, he had to have picked up that I had done something wrong.

If my heart could pound it would be going a mile a minute now as I stared at Dad like a deer caught in the headlights. There was no way I was getting out of this conversation, and the sooner I accepted that the better, I scolded myself. Maybe telling Dad will be a good thing? Maybe it'll help?

It'll help set my backside on fire, I thought sourly; and it'll help me feel even guiltier than I already do. He'll be bound to hate me for what I did. I'd wanted to kill those humans, and if Emmett hadn't been there I would have. All 10 of those humans would've died that day. I shivered at that thought. Dad wouldn't understand. It's not as though he's ever suffered this kind of temptation. Edward told me compassion was the 'gift' Carlisle brought into this life, but I disagreed. Super self-control had to be his gift because who else could manage to walk away from humans as a newborn?

"What's going on, baby?" Dad questioned in the same calm tone. "What is it you need to tell me?"

"Nothing," I replied automatically, my body subconsciously tensing as it prepared for flight or fight.

"Bella," my mother sighed sadly, but I'd had more than enough of her supposed _help_; so I turned towards her and gave a low growl of warning that basically told her to keep out of this.

Mom narrowed her eyes at me, her face turning stern. She was opening her mouth to no doubt scold me when I let out another growl. It didn't turn out very loud or threatening because before I could really get it started I felt a very hard smack on my bottom.

"Ouch!" I yelped loudly as my left arm was grabbed and pulled. I turned my head and found myself nearly nose to nose with my thoroughly unimpressed father.

"Apologize," he ordered sternly, and I frowned, opening my mouth to protest. I didn't get a chance to say anything though because two more swats, just as hard as the first were landed on the same spot.

"Ow! Ouch!" I cried out, tears coming to my eyes from the sheer pain. I attempted to rub out some of the sting, but a rough shake of my arm along with a stern, "Don't" got me to stop.

"You will apologize to your mother this instant, Isabella for your deplorable behavior. We have had this conversation before, but I will reiterate: You _do not _growl in a threatening manner at anyone in this family, _especially_ your mother or me. It is extremely disrespectful and will not be tolerated," Dad lectured sharply. "Now, apologize or it will be a mouth soaping along with a spanking, understood?"

I nodded my head up and down, my eyes blurring with all the tears I was holding back before I slowly turned towards my mother. I wiped at my eyes before looking into her face, and I was surprised by what I saw. Instead of anger or disappointment, her face just showed sadness and sympathy. Now I really felt like a horrible person. Mom hadn't deserved my anger when all she'd been trying to do was help me. "I'm so sorry, Mama," I apologized sincerely. "I shouldn't have growled at you, especially since all you've been trying to do all evening is help me. I promise it won't happen again," I assured her, and she nodded her head, smiling as she responded, "It's alright Bella, I forgive you."

I relaxed slightly, relieved that she'd forgiven me, but also guilty at my loss of control. What was wrong with me?

I noticed as Mom's eyes turned to Dad's, and he let me go. I wanted to rub at my still stinging bottom, but managed to stop myself.

"Bella has something she needs to confess to you, Carlisle," Mom informed Dad. "I would have dealt with this since I know how busy you've been," she remarked with an obvious tone of disapproval, "but after hearing what happened I knew this was something _you_ needed to handle. She feels extraordinary guilty for what she did, and she decided all on her own to come tell you; although she seems to be regretting that decision," she added with a slight smile at me. I didn't smile back.

"Alright," Dad responded, his tone a tad bit confused and wary as he glanced down at me. I avoided his gaze, choosing instead to look down at my feet. "I will handle this," he assured her with confidence, even if he had no idea what he was handling.

"I assume that whatever our daughter did, and since you are bringing her to me that she has earned herself a spanking?" Dad asked her, and I began to tremble at that dreaded word. I didn't want a spanking, especially after having felt those three swats. And I most definitely did not want to feel his belt.

I looked at Mom now with a pleading look, begging her to get me out of this. Please talk to Dad, I thought to her. Please convince him that I don't need a spanking, or at least tell him not to whip me.

Mom noted my look, and although her eyes seemed to fill with tears, her face was a mask of determination as she responded, "Yes, she most certainly has."

I started to cry at her words, my last chance for leniency going out the window. "Please Mom," I cried as I started to walk over to her, only to be held back by Dad who placed a firm hand on my shoulder.

"Enough Bella," he scolded mildly, but I ignored him as I continued to try and convince my mother to help.

"I said I was sorry, Mom," I told her. "I promise it won't ever happen again. Please Mama, can't you punish me instead?"

Mom covered her mouth as she began to cry.

"Isabella, I said enough," Dad scolded much more sternly, and I flinched, my shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Mom stated tearfully, "but this is for your own good. You'll feel better afterwards."

I shook my head in disagreement, fighting the urge to run and wrap my arms around her and never let go.

Dad shot me a look pinning me in place before going to his wife and wrapping his arms around her. He spoke to her in a loving voice, but I had no idea what he said as he spoke in French. Mom responded somewhat angrily, throwing him a warning look. Dad frowned, looking upset before replying in an apologetic tone. Mom's expression softened at whatever he said, and she kissed him on the lips before breaking apart from the hug.

She looked at me one more time, said, "You'll be just fine, Bella," and walked out of the room. I stared after her in mute shock, listening as she began herding Edward and my siblings out of the house; or at least she tried to. There was sudden yelling, and I recognized Edward's voice. Dad did too because in the blink of an eye he was out of the room, and I heard his voice now speaking from downstairs. Silence greeted his words before I heard my family depart.

I felt the sudden and irresistible urge to depart as well, and I rushed out onto my father's balcony before freezing in place.

This a stupid idea. He'll catch you, you must know that. And then you'll be in even worse trouble, if that's possible. You're not allowed outside on your own, so not only would you be running, but you'd be breaking the same rule that landed you in this position in the first place.

I listened to the voice of reason in my head, cursing it for making so much sense while at the same time thanking it for saving my hide from a worse punishment. I stayed where I was longingly staring out into the woods, and they beckoned to me as they had two weeks ago. Unlike then though, I refused to listen to their calls.

"Not planning on running, are you?" Dad asked, coming to stand right next to me.

"If I was?" I asked, and he glanced down at me with a half smile. "I'd say it's a little late for that."

I let out a short laugh before then saying, "I had been planning on it, but then the rational part of my brain, which sounds an awful lot like you said it'd be a really bad idea."

Dad responded with a raised eyebrow before just nodding. "I like it when you're honest," he remarked, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as he led me inside.

**A/N: **There you go! There was no need to fret over Esme keeping something from her hubby because she managed to convince Bella to confess (somewhat) all on her own!

Let me know your thoughts by REVIEWING!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Twilight.

**Warning:** This story contains _**disciplinary spanking**_, so _**don't read**_ if this ain't your thing!

**A/N: **Haven't finished reading all the reviews yet, but the ones that I have are as wonderful as always, so thank you! Without further ado, here is the next chapter! Enjoy!

**Chapter 4: Daddy Knows Best**

**Carlisle's POV:**

Bella sat on the couch and I sat on the armchair I'd set across from her. I had my elbow on my knees and my head resting on my clasped hands as I intently studied my daughter. I had no idea what to expect right now. I had no idea what she had done or why she was in trouble. Whatever it was it had to have been serious though. Serious enough to where Esme, even though clearly upset about it, felt I had to be the one to dole out the discipline knowing full well that I would be harsher than she would. I wondered what my youngest child could have gotten up to. What could she have possibly done to have earned herself a spanking? A spanking that my wife felt she couldn't deliver.

When had this happened? How did Esme know? Actually, how did all the children know? It had not escaped my notice when I went down to scold Edward and Emmett that they all seemed to know why Bella was in my office. It seemed I was the only one in the dark. I felt guilt at the thought. Esme had made it clear that my interest (she used the word obsession) with work right now was not acceptable. Had I missed something?

Well, clearly I had, I mused as I took in Bella's appearance. She looked downright haggard and miserable. She was pale, even by vampire standards and though I knew she had hunted earlier today her eyes were already dark amber. When had this happened? Bella shifted on the couch, lifting her legs up and wrapping her arms around them as she looked anywhere but at me.

Esme said Bella felt guilty over what she'd done, and I fully believed her. One glance into my baby's eyes and I could see the guilt shining in them. What did she do? Clearly Bella was not going to easily offer up this information, despite the fact that she willingly came here to confess. I had my doubts about that seeing as to how she reacted with my wife. She'd looked almost betrayed, but I could never imagine my wife having coerced or tricked her into coming to my office, so there was definitely more to that story.

I took in a deep breath, my heart already feeling heavy despite not having a clue about what my daughter had done. The emotional pain she was obviously in and the fact that I knew I was going to be spanking her were already causing me grief.

"Bella," I finally called, "please look at me." My daughter let out a quiet groan before turning her head towards me. I looked into her eyes, saw the overwhelming guilt, but also anxiety and fear. My stomach clenched. I never wanted to see my children look at me with fear.

"What happened, baby girl?" I questioned her softly. "Why does your mom feel you are in need of a spanking?"

My little one's eyes shined with unshed tears as she quietly responded, "Because I was bad."

"Bad?" I asked in disbelief, giving her a gentle smile, "You could never be bad, Bella."

"But I was," she retorted miserably, "I broke my promise to you."

"What promise?" I asked, and she just shook her head, burying it into her arms. I racked my mind trying to ascertain what promise she could be talking about. Was this a promise made recently, or while she was human?

"Whatever promise you broke," I decided to say, "I will forgive you. I've told you before that there's _nothing_ you can do that would cause me to hate you." Bella glanced up at me with her mournful eyes, a bit of relief shining in them. I smiled at her kindly while inwardly I gave a sad sigh. It seemed Bella still believed she could do something to would cause me to stop loving her.

"You promise?" she asked pitifully, and I stared her straight in the eyes as I said, "I promise."

Bella's lips curved up into the barest of smiles before they began to tremble as she held back from crying.

"You still don't want to tell me what you did?" I questioned, and she stubbornly shook her head, sniffing loudly as she once more buried her head in her arms.

"Why not, baby?" I pressed. "What are you afraid of?"

Her shoulders began to shake, but she still managed to get out a stuttered reply of, "I-I-I d-don't want a w-whipping!"

I sucked in a breath, my body freezing as my mind suddenly had no problem putting together what happened. Bella had broken a promise to me, a promise where I had threatened her with a whipping. There were only two occasions where I had done this, the first being when she promised me to never try and kill herself, and the second being just a few months ago when she promised me not to go out on her own. I didn't need to ask which one she'd broken.

I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, forcing my muscles to relax as I processed this information. Bella had snuck out on her own. When? How? Who knew? Did something happen? Had she been caught, or had she confessed to Esme? Most importantly, why? _Why_ had she done this?

My heart was clenched painfully now and my stomach churned as I realized the position my baby girl had put me in. I had warned her that if she ever snuck out on her own I would take my belt to her. I didn't make empty promises. I was going to have to follow through, and I really, _really_ didn't want to. When I had issued the warning I truly never expected I would have to go through with it. I had thought that using my belt as a threat would have been enough of a deterrent for Bella to mind me, but I had been wrong.

Now I realized why Esme didn't take care of this. As much as she didn't want to, and as angry as she seemed to be with me Esme knew that this was something I needed to handle. Bella deliberately broke a rule, a rule she promised me she would obey, and it would be up to me to teach her how unacceptable that was.

I ran a hand through my hair as I stared over at my sobbing daughter. She sounded so heartbroken, and _so guilty_. Guilty for breaking her promise? For being caught? Or was it something else? Did something happen?

I had a plethora of questions, but right now I knew I wasn't going to get anything out of my distraught child, so I walked to the couch, picked her up, and sat back down with her in my lap.

"You snuck out," I stated, wanting her to know that I knew what she had done, so she could begin to let go and so she could see that despite knowing, I still loved her.

"Y-Y-Yes! I'm sorry Daddy!" she cried in desperation, burying her head into my chest. I held her close, murmuring loving words into her ear so that she would know even though she was in trouble I still loved her. At the same time, however, I was resisting the urge to start scolding and demanding explanations. Why, Bella? Why did you do this? _When_ did you do this?

Stop it, I scolded myself. You have no right to be angry with her. Why do you think she went out on her own? You issued that threat for a reason, Cullen. She wanted her independence back. She wanted to be able to interact among humans like everyone else in the family. She felt she was ready to test her control. Why would anything have changed in the past two months? Why hadn't I been watching over her more?

It's not as though she'd been causing any trouble these past two months, another part of me defended. She hadn't been whining and complaining. She hadn't pestered me even once about teaching her control. In fact, we hadn't really talked much at all, I realized guiltily. I held my newborn daughter close as I suddenly began to realize how neglectful I had been of not only her, but my entire family. I had been so absorbed in my job that I had begun to neglect those closest to me.

The hospital I worked at was located adjacent to a university, and the research opportunities were endless. It was like heaven to my insatiable curiosity. In addition to working with patients I had begun working in the laboratories and doing research with several of the professors. Neither the hospital nor the university knew how many hours I spent at either location so I was easily able to spend as much time as I wanted without the humans really becoming suspicious; and the few times a doctor or professor had pushed me into taking some time off I had shut myself here in my office, content to continue doing research on my own.

I withheld a tired sigh as Bella's cries quieted, feeling suddenly quite weary. I didn't want to deal with this right now. It wasn't that I didn't want to help my daughter, it was just that I didn't want to spank her, let alone take my belt to her. Physically chastising my kids always took a lot out of me, especially when the belt was involved; and right now I didn't feel up to it. I was totally unprepared for this. I wished my wife would have given me a little warning before just springing this on me, but I had a strong feeling she'd done this on purpose. It was her subtle way of showing me the negative effect my absence from the family had caused. Bella would not have felt the need to sneak out if I had begun working with her. At eight months I could've at least begun teaching her what to do when near a human, and how to manage the vampire in her that struggled to take control.

I stared down at my little girl who just about broke my heart when she peered back up at me with tear stained amber eyes. I would readily offer her all the comfort she needed, but it was going to be a struggle for me to be stern with her. But first I needed to find out all the details. I needed to know what happened and where this guilt was stemming from.

"I need to know what happened, Bella," I stated, and she attempted to look away, but I got a firm hold on her chin. "That wasn't a request," I said mildly and she bit her lip before giving me a resigned nod. I maneuvered us so that she was now sitting on her own, both of us turned so that we were facing each other.

"Start with when this happened," I suggested when she remained silent for too long.

"It was two weeks ago," she responded, and more pieces fell together.

"Emmett didn't take you hunting, did he?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer, and Bella nodded.

"So he lied, you both lied," I commented distastefully, knowing now that I was going to have to have a talk with Emmett.

"Don't be mad at Emmett," Bella pleaded, looking very concerned for her brother. "He was only trying to help save me from myself. If it hadn't been for him all those men would be dead!" she shouted desperately before hands flew to her mouth, eyes widening in horror as she realized what she just said.

All those men would be dead? Puzzle complete, I though idly. I didn't even try to process this thought before I looked my daughter square in the eye and said, "Explain in detail what happened starting with _why_ you decided to disobey me."

Bella's eyes glistened with unshed tears before she regretfully began to tell me everything. I remained silent through most of it, only speaking up when I felt she was being evasive or when I wanted clarification. We had reached the part about Emmett trying to convince her to leave the humans and how she had refused. She explained, guilt literally pouring off her in waves how she'd lost complete control of herself and how nothing but killing those humans and drinking their blood had mattered to her. She could've really hurt Emmett, she remarked, all because she couldn't control herself.

And here was the root of her guilt. She had been tearing herself up these past two weeks over how she had lost control. She felt guilty for acting like a newborn vampire. It wasn't the fact that she disobeyed me, almost hurt Emmett, or even killed those men. Those facts did bother her, of course, but the worst thing that happened in her mind was the loss of control. That, to her was the cause of everything that had gone wrong, and therein laid a serious problem; because to me, her acting on her vampire instincts was completely natural and to be expected, especially for a vampire her age. Out of everything that happened it was the least concerning.

What bothered _me_ the most was the way in which she chose to defy me. She chose to go out on her own in an attempt to prove me wrong, and to show me she knew better. She snuck out to prove she wasn't a child who needed protection. My mind flashed back to the very first time I had to discipline Bella, and I noticed several eerie similarities. Bella had been tired of Edward and Alice's over protectiveness, so in an attempt to assert her independence and to prove them wrong she had gone out drinking at a college party, endangering her life recklessly and needlessly. This time her life hadn't been in danger, but the lives of ten humans and her brother had been. Emmett was strong, but if Bella had managed to get her hands around my burly son, she could have killed him before she realized who she was fighting. That thought terrified me.

"When Emmett finally managed to get me away, he told me I should hunt before heading home because there were several groups of humans scattered around the forest," Bella continued. "I-I didn't want to. I was so upset by what happened that I just wanted to go home and Emmett wouldn't let me so we argued and then I ran and Emmett caught me and I hit him and he told me to stop but I wouldn't so he swatted me a couple times which"—

My eyes widened at this point and I interrupted her ramblings with a, "Wait, what did you just say? Emmett did _what_ to you?"

Bella blinked at my exclamation before once more looking upset with herself. It seemed she had let slip that tidbit with Emmett. I had to fight back a brief smile as it seemed my daughter had yet to master the art of deception and lies. I knew her siblings, meaning mainly Emmett had given her 'lessons' on lying, but I was happy to see they had not proved fruitful.

"He, um, he swatted me a few times," Bella answered, "but it only stung a little, nothing like what you gave me for growling at Mom; and really I think he was more shocked than I was. He apologized even though he didn't need to because I really did deserve it, and anyways it certainly got me to calm down and actually listen to him. I ended up hunting like he wanted me to before we headed home," she informed me in a rush, clearly not wanting to get her brother into trouble.

Truth be told I wasn't sure what to think. Emmett had swatted Bella. My daughter had certainly deserved it, and she agreed with me, but I wasn't sure how I felt about Emmett being the one to do so. I was glad he didn't really hurt her though. Hmmm. I filed away this tidbit for later. Now was time to focus on Bella.

"Bella, what are you so guilty about? You told your Mom you'd learned your lesson, and I'm curious as to what that lesson was," I spoke, wanting to confirm what I already believed.

Bella shifted nervously on the couch, fiddling with her hands before hesitantly looking up at me. "I'm guilty about losing control. I never realized how tempting human blood would be and I almost killed those men. I-I thought I knew better than you, but I was wrong." There we go, I thought approvingly. So she realizes it was her pride that put her in this position. That was a step in the right direction.

"And the lesson I learned is not to go out on my own," Bella stated determinedly. "It's obvious I'm not ready to be around humans, and I-I don't think I ever will be. I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment," she finished in a near whisper, wiping at eyes that I didn't think could produce anymore tears.

"You are no such thing, baby girl, now come here," I responded, opening my arms to her. She readily accepted my comfort, needing my reassurances that she was not a disappointment and that I wasn't ashamed of her. I hated that this was what had been bothering her the most. She had been beating herself up because she thought I would look down on her for acting on an instinct she had no control over. How in the world she could believe that I expected her to have good control around humans was beyond me. I'd been the one banning her from going near them! Why did she think I'd done that? Teenagers, I thought ruefully, they complicated everything.

"So-so you're not disappointment by what happened?" she eventually asked me, giving me a wide-eyed stare of disbelief.

"Of course I am disappointed, Bella," I responded, "but not for the reasons you seem to think." Bella gave me a confused look, and I just shook my head.

"Bella, I am not upset that you lost control around those humans. In fact I am not even surprised it happened," I told her in a serious tone. "You are a newborn vampire, barely eight months into this life. Control comes with hard practice, which you have had none, and even then it isn't a sure thing. No one has taught you what to do when around a human besides just holding your breath. No one has taught you how to fight against your instinct and how to attempt to control your vampire nature. Human blood calls to all of us, whether you realize it or not. You have no reason to be ashamed of what happened. Truthfully, the fact that you were able to turn away, even if just to warn Emmett to stay away was quite the feat considering there were bleeding humans less than a mile away from you."

"But _you've_ never struggled like this," Bella retorted petulantly, "And Edward told me he went around humans at a year old, as did Emmett and Rosalie." I let out a sigh, recognizing some truth in her words. My older children had more exposure to humans as newborns than Bella did, but they had also had accidents. Both Edward and Emmett had killed humans in their first years, and they had both gone out on their first solo trips without permission. Rosalie was a different case all together. She had killed humans not out of thirst, but out of a need for revenge. That need was so strong she was able to overcome her thirst. Unlike the boys though, she waited until given permission before once more venturing amongst humans. I explained this to Bella, and she frowned back at me.

"I've learned through mistakes with Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, and even Esme what works best and what doesn't, so I have been stricter with you in regards to exposure to humans because I know what killing a human would do to you. I remember what it did to them, and I wouldn't be able to stand seeing you go through something like that. That's why I've wanted you to wait," I explained honestly. "And just so you know, neither Edward nor Emmett ever went out on their own until they were over a year old. In fact, even at two years into this life I still forbade Edward from going into town alone. Has he not told you of the first time I spanked him?" I questioned, and she nodded her head, looking quite abashed.

"Edward disobeyed you by going into town and ended up getting in a fight with some human boys, almost killing one of them when they cut their head open. You showed up and got him away just in time," she recounted, and I nodded my head.

"But Emmett went out alone when he was a year old," she attempted to argue feebly, and I resisted rolling my eyes.

"Emmett was over a year old when he went out _without permission_," I corrected, giving her a firm look, "and need I remind you that you are only 8 months? And you haven't had nearly the amount of exposure to humans that he had."

"And why not?" she asked, having the nerve to give me an accusing glare. I narrowed my eyes slightly in warning, but otherwise let it slide as she had a bit of a point. "I told you already," I stated, "that I wasn't keen on repeating my mistakes. I exposed Edward and Emmett too early to humans and each one of them had accidents. I didn't want that for you, so I was going to wait until you were at least a year before beginning to work on your control. I wanted you to take this first year to adapt to being a vampire, and to learning to control your emotions."

Bella's brow furrowed as she took in my words. She still didn't look placated. "Why didn't you tell me this?"

"Why didn't you ask?" I shot back with a raised eyebrow.

"I told you I wanted to test myself," she began to complain, but I placed my finger on my lips, silencing her as I said, "You were six months old at the time and in no way ready to be around humans. You were also antagonistic and downright rude, making demands of me rather than calmly explaining what you were feeling. That was the only time you approached me, Bella, and you have had plenty of opportunity since then to talk to me."

"You were always busy," she protested, giving me a mild glare, still intent on leveling some blame on me.

"If you had asked to speak to me, I would have made time, you know that. As it is, I will apologize for how much time I have been burying myself in work," I decided to acknowledge. "I should have been spending more time with you, and I definitely should have noticed how out of sorts you've apparently been these past two weeks. I'm sorry you've been dealing with this guilt for so long, but Bella," I added when she gave me a nod of agreement, "you would not have been suffering so greatly had you not chosen to deliberately disobey me."

My daughter immediately attempted to look away, but I captured her chin, forcing her to maintain eye contact with me. "You made the same mistake as you did when you decided to get drunk in order to prove a point to Edward and Alice," I informed her. "You allowed your pride and need for independence to cloud your judgment, convincing yourself that you knew better than everyone. You set out to prove all of us wrong, foolishly believing that without any practice you could go out on your own without any fear of consequences. You admitted to considering actually seeking out humans on your own. You didn't need to, of course as the humans found you."

"I thought humans didn't come to these part of the woods," she argued, attempting to somehow convince me that this hadn't all been a poorly thought out plan.

"Humans don't come to the areas we take you, but you weren't in those parts, were you?" I questioned, and she hesitated briefly before giving a small shake of her head.

"No, you instead sought out areas you'd never been to, not realizing that human lumbermen were crawling all over those parts of the woods," I scolded, and Bella's eyes glazed over. I knew she wanted to cry, but comfort and understanding time were over. Now was time to lay down the law. Now was time to teach my daughter how wrong her actions were. I had to be stern and hard on her. This would be a lesson she would not forget anytime soon, if not ever.

"You made me a promise, Isabella, and you went back on your word," I said sternly. "Well, now I'm going to tell you that I don't go back on my word. I told you that if you ever went out on your own that I would take my belt to you, and that is exactly what I intend to do. If logic and reason will not work with you, then perhaps a sore bottom will prove to be a better teacher."

"But Daddy," Bella began to cry, and I hardened my heart as I sharply said, "Stop crying." She immediately reared back, staring at me with wide eyes as she with great difficulty bit back her sobs.

"No more excuses and no more pleads," I lectured. "It's time for you to listen as I tell you what bothers _me_ the most about what happened, and that is your defiance. You have been stewing over my refusal to take you amongst humans for two entire months now, and instead of having approached me about your concerns you became angry with me. You somehow got it in your head, despite not only my words, but those of the rest of the family, that you were ready to go out alone. You wanted to prove me wrong while at the same time showing me how adult you were. You didn't need protection. You didn't need to be babysat. You are a mere _8 months old_, yet you_ knew_ more than your father who has over _3 centuries_ of experience." My daughter listened intently, her wide, glistening eyes never leaving mine as I continued to speak.

"Not once, _not once_ did you stop to think of the consequences that you may be wrong, and _damn it_ Bella, but you should have!" I declared strongly, giving her a look of deep disappointment. "You knew more than any of the others what to expect as a newborn. We'd had extensive talks before and immediately after your transformation on what to expect, and on what your restrictions should by, and on _why_ these restrictions would be in place. You knew from talks with Jasper and Edward what to expect in terms of your thirst, especially in regards to humans. _You knew all this_. You were more prepared for this life than any member of this family, more than any vampire in history in fact, yet you still disregarded my most important rule for you without thought." Bella flinched, crying silent tears, and while my heart ached something fierce, this conversation was far from over. She needed to hear this.

"Not even Emmett, who struggled with having rules just like you do, dared disobey me so blatantly. He had months and months of practice around humans and was well prepared to deal with his thirst before he wandered off on his own. But you, my _very young _child, you thought nothing of the consequences. You never stopped to call on all our lessons or all our warnings, because if you had, you never would have dared go out alone."

"I'm sorry," Bella stated, giving me an earnest, pleading look, and while I nodded my head in acceptance of the apology I in no way was relenting. "I know you're sorry, Bella, and you will be forgiven, but you still need to hear what I have to say." My daughter relaxed minutely at hearing she would receive forgiveness, but still remained mostly tense, her face a mask of misery and self reproach.

"Your mother came and talked to me earlier this week about getting you out of the house more," I informed her, and her look of misery was replaced with one of surprise.

"She did?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes," I answered, "she informed me that you were feeling cooped up, and she requested that I start teaching you how to control your thirst, so you could at least be allowed to hunt with only one companion. I had agreed, telling her that I thought you were ready and how I was proud of the patience you had shown. I was completely wrong, though, and now I can see you're not ready at all."

"Daddy, please, I'm so, so sorry!" Bella couldn't help but cry. "I was an ignorant idiot, and I'll take whatever punishment you want, just _please_," she begged, "I can't take this guilt anymore. I can't take how disappointed you are. I know I'm a horrible daughter, but I promise I'll be better. I'll listen, I swear!" She had her hands wrapped in my shirt, and was actually shaking me a little so put my hands over hers and gently forced her to release me.

"This lecture is part of your punishment," was the only thing I said in response, and I knew it was somewhat cruel not to offer her some comfort or reassurance when she was clearly so distraught, but I felt that if I gave in now, I wouldn't be able to go through with her punishment. There would be plenty of time to comfort her afterwards, I reassured myself, mentally flinching at the heartbroken expression my baby girl now sported.

"Do you recall all those lessons we had?" I questioned, and she gave a tearful nod of her head, sniffing loudly before responding, "Yes sir." I nearly cringed at the title. I was never really a fan of being called 'sir', and I wasn't used to Bella really calling me that. It was on a rare occasion when the word slipped out of her mouth as she preferred to answer with a simple 'yes' or 'yes dad'. My other children were more apt to call me 'sir', and I knew it was as a result of their human upbringings. They'd been raised to use the term with their fathers as a term of respect and obedience, so I'd long since accepted that they'd all call me that from time to time, usually when in trouble. With Bella though, it just wasn't a natural term for her to use, but as uncomfortable as I was with it, I knew she meant it as a show of submission. She was acknowledging my place as her superior and accepting her position in our family.

"Do you realize how worse things could have turned out? Do you realize how badly you could have hurt your older brother?" I pressed, and Bella gave an obedient nod as she once more responded, "Yes sir."

"You know that as a newborn you are the strongest one in this family," I explained, deciding to reiterate for reinforcement what she already knew. "Any miscalculation on Emmett's part, _any_ hesitation and you could not only have seriously harmed him, but you could have killed him."

"I-I know," she stuttered, rubbing at her tear-stained eyes, and I knew from her tone of voice that she really did understand. She had been present when Jasper had been teaching our family and the wolves how to fight newborns, and if that lesson hadn't stuck, Jasper had taught it again after she had been turned. I said nothing more on this subject as her fight with Emmett was a direct result of her loss of control, which wasn't her fault. She did what any other vampire would have, defending her meal. My children at times still did that on accident with each other when hunting.

I pondered over what to say next, my heart nearly breaking at how utterly defeated my baby looked. My resolve cracked a little, and I decided it was time to just put her out of her misery. She'd suffered enough, and I believed I had made my disappointment and the reason behind it quite clear. After my lecture and the spanking she was about to receive, it would be some time before this little vampire even thought about disobeying me.

"Alright Bella, I believe I have lectured you enough, don't you?" She let out a chocked sob, nodding her head mutely. "Then let us move onto the physical portion of your punishment," I declared, and my daughter sucked in a quick breath, giving me a look of fear.

"Tell me what you did wrong," I said, and she took a couple of deep breaths before dutifully answering in a shaky voice. "I d-disobeyed your order to-to never l-leave t-the house alone. I thought I-I knew be-better t-than you, and-and I didn't e-ever stop to-to t-think about the consequences of m-my a-actions. I nearly k-k-killed ten h-humans, and-and I could've really hu-hurt E-Em-Emmett," she managed to get out, her entire body trembling as she fought to keep from breaking down.

I felt terrible. The spanking hadn't even commenced and my girl was already a mess. She was one small push away from a breakdown, but there was no way this spanking wasn't happening. This would be the harshest punishment I'd ever given her, and one of the most difficult for me to give, but we would both endure it. Bella was not a fragile human anymore. She was a vampire, capable of atrocious acts if allowed to run wild. She needed to learn that obedience was not an option.

"Good," I praised lightly, "I'm glad to see you understand the gravity of your mistake. You know what to expect now, so I see no use in putting this off. Stand up," I ordered, standing up along with her. She gave me a curious look that quickly turned to despair as she watched me take off my belt. Her shaking increased, and I knew she wanted to protest, but all I said was, "You were warned," and she said nothing. Once the wretched belt was off I sat down, setting it down next to me before motioning for the girl to come stand on my right side. She looked quite distraught, but she came.

"Drop the jeans," I ordered. Bella closed her eyes briefly, but was clearly unsurprised as she began unbuttoning her pants. With a single swoop she pushed them down to her knees, and I easily had her pulled over my lap with her underwear joining her jeans before she really realized what I was doing. I was surprised to hear no crying, and felt a flicker of pride at the strength she was displaying. She was not fighting this punishment. She didn't want it and she was scared stiff, but she wasn't fighting. Good girl, I thought as I rubbed her back soothingly.

Without a single word, and without warning I raised my hand and brought it down hard. She gave a loud shriek, her body jolting from the force, and I tightened my hold on her, bringing her closer to me. This was her first real vampire spanking and she was finding out that it hurt a lot more than her human spankings had; and there was also the fact that I wasn't going easy on her. I wasn't starting out with a slow warm up and waiting for her to adjust. I was going to overwhelm her. This spanking would be very painful and leave her very sore, but I was positive the lesson would be learned.

I spanked away at my poor daughter's backside, blocking out the cries and yells. In the back of my mind I grappled over how many licks to give her with the belt. Truthfully, if I hadn't issued that threat I wouldn't be using it. Her level of guilt, the fact that she willingly chose to confess when no one would have been able to find out what she'd done, and her easy acceptance of this punishment was enough to absolve her of its harsh sting; but I had warned her. I cursed myself for the foolhardy threat, but a promise was a promise. Five licks was the usual amount I gave, but I couldn't do that. I'd use the damned piece of leather because I had to, but I'd give her only two licks. Enough for her to know I didn't back out on my promises, but not enough to add too much pain. It'd still hurt like hell, but I'd use less force than I normally would.

Mind made up I focused fully back on the wriggling bottom that was futilely trying to escape my hand. Steeling my heart, I continued on.

**A/N: **Sooooo, what'd you think? PLEASE REVIEW!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Twilight.

**Warning:** This chapter contains **disciplinary spanking**, so don't read if you don't like.

**A/N: **Your reviews are as lovely as ever, thanks so much guys!

**Chapter 5: Confession is Good for the Soul, but Not the Bottom**

**Bella's POV:**

This spanking hurt, and I do mean _really _hurt. Dad either wasn't holding back at all or vampire spankings were worse that my human ones. This was worse than Mom's spanking from earlier in the week that was for sure, but then again she hadn't been so upset with me and I'd gotten to keep my pants up. Dad was clearly extremely disappointed and in no mood to play around. He was letting me know in no uncertain terms that I'd overstepped my boundaries, and that was unacceptable.

While a large part of me focused on the pain and guilt of what I'd done, there was a smaller, growing part that was beginning to feel relieved. Relieved that I was finally getting my comeuppance. Relieved that everything I had done was out in the open, and Dad still loved me enough to discipline me. He still loved me, even though he was rather pissed with me.

"Owww! Daddy, ow! I'm sorry!" I wailed pitifully, the ever increasing burn becoming too much for me. This was nothing like my human spankings. He wasn't taking it slow and he wasn't allowing me any time to catch my breath and recover.

_Swat! Swat! Swat!_

I sobbed and yelled and begged, but my words fell on deaf ears. Dad said nothing, giving me no acknowledgment that he even heard me as he punished me.

_Swat! Swat! Swat!_

"Owwwiieee! St-Stop Daddy!" I begged. This was too much, I thought after a particularly painful smack to my sit spot. I began to wriggle, kicking my legs and doing everything I could to escape his grasp. I knew this wasn't allowed, but my bottom was on fire.

"Isabella," my father spoke in a warning tone, giving my sit spots two scorching swats, "settle down."

I heard him, but I couldn't help but disregard the warning, reaching out my left hand in what I knew even then to be a very dumb attempt to stop him. Without even a moment's pause my hand was deftly grabbed and about to be pinned to my back, but my instinct for flight was going full force right now. In order to grab my hand Dad had to release his hold on me and I used that to my advantage as I rolled myself off his lap and onto the ground. That was as far as my well thought out plan went though, and I wasn't at all prepared for landing on my seriously aching backside. Giving a loud cry of pain I quickly rolled over, but had no time to even rub some sting out before I was quickly snatched up and placed back over my father's lap.

His grip around me was even tighter and my stomach curled in on itself when I heard Dad state in an icy tone, "You should not have done that." I couldn't have agreed more when his rock-hard hand began to come down faster and harder than before covering not only my bottom, but my sit spots and upper thighs as well. I was howling after ten seconds of this onslaught, begging for forgiveness and promising to never ever for as long as I lived to try and escape a punishment.

"Hmmm," was the non-committal reply I got, and I cursed myself over and over in my head as I struggled to take my punishment. Dad kept my left hand pinned to my back and I kept my right hand gripped tightly around his left leg, burying my head in his jeans.

Finally the rapid onslaught slowed down, but I felt little relief as even the very slow pace he was using now still hurt like no other. This was it. There was no way I would ever be able to sit again. Thank God I had no need for it, but it would certainly be terribly inconvenient.

_Swat! Swat!_

I screamed out as his hand once more touched my very sensitive sit spots, finally going limp. I was done. I had no strength to fight anymore. All I could do was cry. I felt four more hard smacks at this point before I felt his grip loosen and a hand rubbing my back.

He rubbed my back continuously as I sobbed into his pant leg. It was only when I choked out an, "I'm sorry," that he pulled my panties over my bottom and stood me up. I dimly wondered where my pants had gotten to before I tried to go for my post spanking hug, but my father held me at arm's length. "We're not finished," he told me, and tears blurred my vision as I once more started sobbing. I wasn't sure how I had any tears left at all in my body after all the crying I'd done all day.

Dad pulled me in for a brief hug after I failed to calm down at all. I wanted to wrap my arms around him, but he anticipated my reaction and pinned my arms to my side all the while still offering me some comfort.

"Shhhh child, shhhh," he softly spoke to me. "I need you to be strong for a little while longer," he pleaded with me. "Your punishment is almost over and then I will give you all the hugs you want."

I couldn't stop my cries, but I did manage to nod my head, steeling myself for what was to come. I'd never been spanked with his belt, but I definitely feared it. I'd heard stories from all my siblings about how awful the sting was, and after how sore I was already feeling, I couldn't imagine my poor backside surviving.

Taking a deep breath my dad once more put me at arm's length and gave me a very stern look. "Isabella Marie Cullen, obedience is not an option in this family. My rules are there to protect you, our family, and the humans around us. Even if you don't always understand why I set a rule, you are to obey it. You can ask questions, but whether you agree or not, you do as I say. I'm not setting out to make you miserable or to make you feel like I don't trust you, but you have got to stop listening to that voice in your head telling you that you know better than everyone else. You are a smart girl, I've always said that, and now I want you to prove it to me. Don't let pride or anger influence you. Talk to someone if you are upset. You have an entire family here that loves you and wants nothing more than for you to be happy. Never forget that."

I nodded my head in complete understanding, unable to stop hating myself for how much of a mess I'd caused. Why did I have to let him down so badly?

I focused my attention once more on Dad when he snapped his fingers loudly. His eyes were narrowed, but he gave no comment on my inattentiveness. Instead, he grabbed a pillow from his couch and set it down on the armrest. Picking up his belt he then motioned for me to bend over the armrest. I stared at him, before slowly doing as ordered. I hated every second of this. This was unfamiliar and just seemed to accentuate how badly I had screwed up. In this position I wasn't offered the comfort of my father's hold on me. I didn't have his leg to grab onto or bury my head into, allowing me to inhale his comforting scent. I didn't even have a pillow to grab onto as it was positioned under me, lifting my hips and placing my backside in the perfect position for a whipping. I was feeling very alone and terrified before I felt a hand touch my back. I felt my father comfortingly rub my back for a few moments, and I found myself relaxing, relieved at the contact because I no longer felt so alone. Even after all the trouble and grief I had put my father through, and even when he was disciplining me he still provided comfort and support with a simple touch.

"Normally I would be delivering five licks since this is your first time being spanked with my belt, but given the fact that you willingly chose to confess what you had done knowing full well you had essentially gotten away with this, I will cut the number of licks down to two," Dad informed me, and I held my breath unable to believe I'd lucked out. I wasn't quite sure how big of a difference that would make though. I mean five wasn't that many to begin with, but two? I could do this, I reassured myself. I would be brave and take my two licks without a fuss.

"Ready?" Dad asked, and I responded with a quiet, "Yes sir," before he released his hold on me. He didn't lower my underwear, but I guess he thought the flimsy material really wouldn't offer much protection. I whimpered at the loss of content before my mind went suddenly blank due to the loud crack and sudden blaze of fire I felt on my bottom.

"Ahhhh!" I screamed out in agony, not at all prepared for how much that single lick had hurt.

_Crack!_

I reared up onto my toes letting out a half yell/half strangled sob. Sitting would never be an option again, but at least it it was over, I thought in relief. It was all over, and with that happy thought I pushed myself up, turned around, and slammed into my dad with such force I actually caused him to fall to the ground with me in his arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I repeated over and over, apologizing for knocking him down, for trying to escape during the spanking, for the disrespect, for the defiance, and basically for everything I had done.

"I know, baby girl, and you are forgiven," Dad said, and I sobbed into his chest letting out all the guilt, pain, sorrow, and relief I was feeling and had felt. I swore to myself this was going to be the last time I cried for at least a year. I had shed more tears today than I had in my entire human life.

Stern, disappointed Dad was gone, and right now it was my daddy who held me in my arms telling me how brave I had been and how much he loved me. He told me how proud of me he was and that all was forgiven. My slate was clean and there was no more need for me to feel guilty. These were the words I'd been longing to hear, and I soaked them in like a dry sponge. Every loving, reassuring word he spoke soothed my aching heart and I began to heal. I was exhausted, absolutely spent, my eyes were swollen from all the crying, and my bottom throbbed horribly, but I felt more content than I had in months.

Dad had been right. He was always right. I should've talked to him sooner about what was bugging me. I needed to learn to stop keeping things bottled up or I was going to find myself in this position time and time again.

We sat on the floor for quite some time until I finally, _finally_ stopped crying. I wiped my nose on my sleeve and wiped at my face with the cuff of my sleeves before laying my head back down on Dad's chest. I inhaled his familiar scent and gave a sigh of content.

"I missed you, Dad," I stated, and his arms tightened around me, a kiss placed on my hair as he responded with some regret, "I'm sorry, baby girl. I should never have gotten so absorbed with work that I began neglecting my family, especially you. You've needed me and I wasn't attentive enough to realize; and this is the consequence."

"I seemed to have gotten the raw end of the deal," I told him with a slight smile. "At least you can still sit."

He didn't smile back though, his expression turning sad and weary. "You have no idea how difficult it is to be the cause of your pain, Bella. I love you more than you could ever realize, and all I want is for you to be happy, healthy, and safe. My heart breaks anytime I see one of you kids hurting or crying, but to know that I was the one that caused it, I sometimes can't even stand to look at myself," he remarked, a look of self loathing in his eyes. I was completely taken aback by his confession. I knew he didn't like punishing us, but I never realized just how much he really hated it, or how much it hurt him.

"Dad," I called softly, wanting to say something to comfort him. He graced me with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes as he said, "I'm always terrified that one day I'll go too far and really hurt one of you. I'm always terrified that you'll all one day hate me for spanking you, but you must know that I do it only out of love. I only want to protect you, even if I'm just protecting you from yourselves," he explained to me, and I just stared at him, marveling at not only what he was saying, but at how open he was being with me. I may not have been a Cullen long, but even I had realized that Dad didn't bare his insecurities easily.

"Dad," I spoke again, getting onto my knees and wrapping my arms around his neck, "you have nothing to worry about. You could _never_ be abusive with any of us, and I _know_ that you spank us only because you want to help us, I really do. I'm sorry that this hurts you so much, and I'm sorry that I put you in this position. I'd love to promise you that I'll never get in trouble again, but I think I've finally come to accept that that's a promise I just won't be able to keep."

He smiled at my words, a genuine smile as he let out a chuckle. "If only you could always be this wise and understanding," he remarked somewhat teasingly, landing a light kiss on my nose. I just shrugged before saying, "At least I keep life interesting. Tell me you wouldn't get bored if we were all constantly well behaved, obedient kids?"

"Well," Dad hedged before just shaking his head. "Yeah, you're right, you crazy lot do keep me on my toes."

"Thank you Bella for the kind words," he then said more seriously, and I just gave him a nod and a hug as a response. When I pulled away he quickly roved his eyes over me before asking, "Are you alright? Now that your head is a little clearer, is there anything else you'd like to discuss, or that I need to know about?"

I thought his question over carefully and was about to shake my head when I remembered something.

"What is it?" he asked concernedly upon noting my expression.

"I know you said that my loss of control was natural, but it really scared me, Dad," I admitted in shame. "I-I didn't feel like me anymore. It was like I became this monster, and I'm afraid…I'm afraid that it'll happen again and that I'll lose myself forever. I don't want that to happen. I don't want to go around a human ever again." I looked down now, not wanting to see his disappointment. "I know how disappointed you must be with me, and I'm sorry, but I just"—

"Hush now," my father ordered as he placed a finger on my lips. "First off, thank you for telling me this, I am proud that you're beginning to open up. Secondly, I apologize for having given you the impression that your loss of control was not something to fret over. It is, and I am truly sorry at the fear you felt, but I want to assure you that you will _never_ lose yourself. The vampire in you will never gain full control if you don't allow it, and know that this family will always be there to help bring you back, kicking and screaming if we must. As for never going around humans," he stated, "that is of course your choice, and I would never presume to force you to be amongst them, and nor would I feel disappointment or shame; but ask yourself if this is really what you want or if you are just letting your fear control you.

I contemplated his words before answering, "Fear."

He nodded his head. "Yes, that is what I thought. What happened to you, especially because you were so unprepared was terribly frightening, no doubt, but it will not always be like that. You will learn to control yourself. You will learn to control that inner beast. It will be difficult and take hard work, but I have the utmost confidence in your abilities."

"You do?" I questioned doubtfully. "After what I did?"

"What you did was no reflection on your abilities, baby, it was a reflection of teenage arrogance. It was a serious lack of judgment and a temper tantrum rolled in one," he stated, and I gave him an embarrassed face, glad suddenly that I could no longer blush.

"If you want to be around humans one day," Dad continued, "I will help you. The whole family will help you. Every single one of them have been in your position. They know the struggles you face, so as hard as it may be at times, you must listen to their advice because they have years of experience dealing with these urges, do you understand?"

"Yes Dad," I replied, and he gave me a proud smile. He then pulled out his phone and sent off a quick text. At my inquisitive look he said, "I am sure they are already on their way, but just in case I am informing Esme that all is well and that she can come and coddle you now."

I felt a spark of guilt in me and shifted uncomfortably as I remembered how I had disrespected her. Dad was obviously able to read me like an open book for he told me, "She has already forgiven you, but another apology and assurances that you love her would not be remiss." I stared at him, relieved when I saw no anger in his eyes, only understanding.

"If it wasn't for Mom I'd still be in my room wallowing in self pity," I commented. "She knew what I needed even when I didn't and convinced me to come talk to you. I thought for sure you'd hate me, but Mom said that could never be true. Sorry for doubting you," I added, knowing that he would blame himself for my sudden doubt.

He just waved my apology away as he said, "Your Mom is an amazing woman and mother. It hurt her terribly to send you to me not because she didn't trust me, but because she knew how hard I would punish you. She did it though because she, as you already said, knew that you needed this. Your moms a genius," he declared with a wide, proud smile.

I smiled briefly before asking something that had been on my mind for a while. "Why couldn't I forgive myself, Dad? Everybody, including you told me my reactions had been understandable and that I had no need to beat myself up, so why wasn't I able to let it go? Why did it take a spanking to help me feel better?"

My father frowned thoughtfully before giving a light shrug. "Truthfully Bella, I am not quite sure. It's not just something you feel though," he assured me. "We all go through such moments where we find ourselves unable to handle what we've done. We can't forgive ourselves because we don't feel we deserve it. We feel we must suffer as some sort of recompense to atone for whatever crime we committed. It's human nature, I suppose."

"Have you ever felt like this," I asked curiously, and he nodded. "Oh yes, many times."

"Even as a vampire?" I pressed, and he gave another nod before giving me a fond smile when I asked the obvious question of, "When? What did you do and how did you get over your guilt?" I was immensely curious now, finding it hard to believe that Dad could have ever gotten into trouble.

Dad hedged a look at me, appearing slightly embarrassed before saying in a casual voice, "One experience that will forever stand out was in 1960, and I had a bit of an issue with my temper. Esme sorted me out though with a sound whipping using my own belt. It was quite the memorable experience and it still causes me to wince at just remembering."

I stared in open mouth astonishment at what he'd just told me, never having heard this story before. How could the others have kept something of this magnitude away from me? Dad had actually been spanked?! By Mom?! I wanted details!

"What happened?!" I gasped out, eagerly wanting to know, but he just shook his head and said, "That, my naughty newborn is a story for another time."

"What?! You can't just tell me something like this and expect me to let it go! This is crazy!" I yelled out in complete shock.

Dad laughed openly at my words, standing up and pulling me up with him. "In one weeks time, baby girl, we will have all the time in the world for me to fill your head with all sorts of family stories," he stated, and I frowned, wondering what he meant by that. "What's happening in one week? And why do I have to wait that long?" I couldn't help but whine.

"No whining," Dad scolded mildly, tapping me on the nose before then stating, "Because exactly one week from today you and I are going on a weeklong camping/hunting trip. During this trip I will begin to teach you about control and your vampire abilities. It'll be just you and me, Bella."

"Really?" I asked, unable to keep the sheer longing out of my tone.

"Really," Dad declared with the utmost certainty.

"Oh wow!" I shrieked in delight, giving him a tight hug. "This is going to be so much fun, I can't wait! I'm so excited! Wait until Edward hears about this! Wow, thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best Dad in the whole wide world!"

Dad laughed again as he returned my hug. "I'm glad you're excited, I am too. It'll be good for the both of us, and I'll make sure to get you up to date on the most notable incidences of our Cullen family history."

"Including your spanking from Mom?"

"Yes," he responded drily with a roll of his eyes, "including my embarrassing fall from grace. I figured that'd catch your interest."

I bounced up and down in excitement as I stated, "Well how could it not? I mean, this is _you_ we're talking about. You're practically a saint! I just really can't picture you getting into trouble, and sorry, but the mental image of you receiving a whipping from Mom is just so surreal. Wow…," I trailed off, just staring at the man as I attempted to figure this mystery out.

He groaned, mumbling, "I shouldn't have told you," before his eyes suddenly flicked towards the outside.

"Looks like everybody is home," he stated more seriously, and that was when I heard the sound of many footsteps headed towards us. "Head up to your room, Bella, and wait for your Mom. After I have a talk with Edward and your siblings, I'll send Edward up to you," he informed me, and I stared at him in concern.

"They're not in trouble, are they? Please Dad don't be mad at them, they were just protecting me," I defended, and gave me a look.

"You don't need protecting from me, now go," he ordered more firmly. "I won't spank them, if that's what you're worried about. I only plan on lecturing," he explained, and I let out a relieved breath as I relaxed. I gave the man one more last hug before going to my room.

It was only when I reached my room that I realized with quite a bit of embarrassment that I was without pants. Figuring that I wouldn't want Edward to find them in Dad's office I was about to rush back to it when I found the man himself standing outside my door, a slightly sheepish look on his face as he held up my jeans.

"Thanks," I said, once more extremely glad I couldn't blush. I was about to put them on when I watched Dad walk into my closet. When he came out he was carrying a pair of my sweat pants and saying, "You'll be more comfortable in this, trust me."

I gave my father a grateful look before giving him a teasing smile. "Is this advice the result of personal experience?"

Dad rolled his eyes before shaking his head in exasperation. "Impertinent child," he grumbled and I laughed.

**Emmett's POV:**

There was no denying it, our Alice was a freakin live saver. We'd all been worried sick about Bella, but thanks to her visions she'd been able to assure us that Bella was just fine. Sore as hell, but fine enough to where she was smiling and laughing apparently, and that was good for me.

That tiger was strong. I hated the thought of Pops taking his belt to her, but I knew she could handle it. She was tougher than she looked. She'd have to be to put up with Edward, I thought in amusement. Edward snarled at me, the only one that hadn't relaxed at all at hearing Alice's reassurances. He remained silent though, and we had my dear Mama to thank for that. Edward had a temper, but he wasn't dumb enough to go mouthing off about Pops in Mom's presence.

Long gone were the days where she'd just sit back and let the old guy dish out all the punishment. Long gone were the days where she'd fight Pops every time he wanted to bust our tails. She'd gone over to the dark side, and now she'd all too easily tear a strip of my little bro's hide if she felt he needed it. Yup, all us Cullen kids had learned that the hard way. Mama bear would turn her claws on anybody who dared threaten us, but she wasn't afraid to turn those claws on us cubs too when we stepped out of line. Now I'd been spanked enough time by both parents to know that while Mama's spankings hurt, Pops were definitely worse. Mom just didn't have it in her heart to be as hard on us as dear ol' Pops, and she knew that, which is why she'd taken to sending us off to him for a second hiding when at times she felt our lesson hadn't been quite learned. Thankfully she usually preferred to keep Pops in the dark when she was forced to physically chastise us. Yesiree, we all knew that after a tanning from Mama your best chance at avoiding Pop's hand was to straighten up real quick.

Alice suddenly stood up, smiling as she informed us, "We can go home now!" Sighs of relief were heard all around before we began to make our way home. It was funny how we all kinda stressed over Bella's punishment. We'd never worried this much about each other, unless of course it was our mate on the receiving end. With Bella though, I dunno. Maybe it was the fact that she was so much younger than us, or that she had this air of innocence and vulnerability that we all seemed to lack, even our perky pixie. Whatever it was, we all had this inexplicable urge to protect the baby of our family, and I already knew that urge was gonna land us in trouble; which is why when Alice suddenly frowned and said, "Daddys going to want to talk to all of us when we get home," I was unsurprised.

I accepted this with good grace, but Eddie boy did not. He let out a furious growl, shouting that he wasn't going to go. "I have to see that Bella is alright. I can't believe he took his belt to her! She didn't deserve that at all!" I was surprised when he stopped his rant and fell silent before I saw him flick slightly guilty eyes to our mother. Mama Bear strikes again, I thought in amusement. My brother threw me a dirty look at my thoughts, but I didn't care. It's not as though he had to listen to what I was thinking. When my brother continued to look like his dog had just died, I sighed, deciding to take a little mercy on him.

_Relax Edward_, I thought to him. _Alice saw that Bella is just fine, and really, do you honestly think Pops would hurt her? Come on now, don't go pulling a Jasper on us. I think the folks have had enough stress for one day, and I don't think Pops will appreciate your temper. You know he's gotta be beating himself up over this punishment. He always does when that belt comes out, especially when it's one of his girls, so just chill._

Edward frowned at me briefly before letting out a sigh. He gave me a slight nod, and I let him be. I understood how he felt. That overwhelming need to protect your mate, but I also knew that Pops was a fair guy, and that he'd _never_ allow himself to hurt one of us. Edward knew this, but he was going to have to learn to deal with this issue just like I had, and just like Jasper had. Hopefully he wouldn't take half a century to learn the lesson like 'ol soldier boy had though. I think that's the only time a punishment from Mom was worse than Pops, at least that's what I heard on the grapevine. I hadn't been there to witness dear Jazzy's spectacular fall from grace, but I'd heard all about it.

We arrived home and I couldn't help but take in a huge breath to help settle some of my anxiety. I wondered if Bella had told him what I'd done, and if so how he had reacted. He sure as hell wouldn't approve, I knew that. I felt a hand grab hold of me and smiled down at my beautiful Rose. Her look said to stop worrying and that everything would be just fine. I smiled back and gave her nod of thanks and agreement, giving her a quick peck on the lips.

We walked into the house and the anxiety in the room went up a notch. I knew it wasn't just my anxiety I was feeling but all of my siblings as well. Jasper was puking all over us, and I gave the boy a glare.

"Sorry," he muttered sheepishly.

We were nervous, there was no denying it. We'd all known what Bella had done but we had kept it to ourselves. The folks never liked it when we did this. They just didn't understand though that siblings didn't nark on one another, at least usually. Then there was the fact that I had actually lied to Pops, and 88% of the time that meant a spanking was in order. I seriously hoped that this was one of the 13% moments.

Mom came to stand before us now and she gave us all sympathetic looks that somehow made us feel better and more nervous at the same time. I was hoping for some words of reassurance, but I guess she had no idea what we were facing. "Your father is expecting you, so don't keep him waiting," was all she said before disappearing up the stairs, no doubt eager to check in on Bella.

"Let's get this over with," Jasper declared before marching up the stairs. I rolled my eyes. Of course he'd be the first one to willingly head to his doom. I had a little more self preservation though and was all for giving Pops a little more time to cool off. With a heavy sigh I began to head up, nervously hoping that all Pops wanted to talk about was the fact that we kept what Bella had done a secret from him.

**A/N: **Wow, so reading back I feel Bella's punishment was a little harsh, but the lesson sure was learned, yup!

PLEASE REVIEW!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Twilight

**Warning:** This story contains disciplinary spanking, so don't read or flame if this offends you

**A/N:** Hello all! I've absolutely LOVED every single one of your AMAZING reviews! They put such a huge smile on my face and make all this time writing totally worth it! A lot of people seemed really happy about Carlisle's planned camping trip with Bella, so I'm sorry to say that I actually haven't written anything about it. I'm considering maybe adding another chapter to encompass some highlights or even doing a separate story. What do you think?

**Chapter 6: Kumbaya and all that Feel Good Stuff**

**Emmett's POV:**

We arrived at Pop's office to see that he wasn't there. We gave each other confused looks before we saw him coming from the direction of Bella's room.

"Go on in," he said curtly, and all but my genius brother Edward did as we were told. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. One look at our dad and we could all see he was not in the best of moods.

"How is she? She's alright, right? You didn't really use your belt on her, did you? Because-because that wouldn't be fair at all Dad. She's just a newborn and she was really sorry, you had to have seen that, right? And she confessed on her own, so that had to count in her favor, right?" Edward babbled, and I had to hand it to him. He forwent the accusatory 'how dare you lay a finger on my mate' stage and went for a pathetic 'you're an understanding, compassion guy, right so I know you wouldn't have hurt my mate'.

Pops at least didn't seem angry as he wrapped a hand around Edward's neck and guided him inside, closing the door behind them.

"Bella is perfectly fine," Pops stated firmly, a subtle warning to not push in his tone that all but brother dearest seemed to hear. _Come on Edward_, I thought, _cut the crap before you land yourself in trouble_. He ignored my brilliant advice though and continued to babble pathetically.

"Ok, she's fine, I believe you," he stated, no one in the room believing his words, "but can I go see her, or can you at least let me see what happened. How did she take it? And you didn't answer me, you didn't use your belt, did you? Because that's too harsh and"—he suddenly stopped speaking, his attention now focused on the couch where there was a pillow set on the armrest and the dreaded belt lying innocently on the floor.

Uh oh, I couldn't help but think as I glanced at my brother's face. Well, the sh*t just hit the fan, I thought as I saw his desperate expression turn into one of righteous anger. I immediately prepared myself to intervene if he was going to be dumb enough to attack Pops while at the same time yelling at him to calm down in my head. A quick glance at Jasper and the look of concentration on his face and I knew he was using his ability on our brother and probably also yelling at him mentally. Actually, from the looks on Rose and Alice's face, they were yelling too.

Our worry was a little premature though because Dad nipped our little brother's tantrum in the bud when he abruptly grabbed his bicep, pulled him close, got down in his face and simply said, "_Do not test me_."

Holy crap. I wasn't sure if he said anything else through his thoughts, but really, what more needed to be said? Those four words and the tone in which they were spoken were enough that even I was feeling cowed. The message was loud and clear. Papa was not in the mood for any antics, so we subconsciously all straightened up, prepared to be on our best behavior in order not to bring his displeasure down on us.

Edward thankfully received the message just as well as we had because his head immediately lowered to the floor submissively, the fight just seeping out of him. "Yes sir," he spoke meekly, and my dad looked him over sternly before releasing his hold. Edward immediately made his way towards us, his head still bowed. I felt for him, and gave him a nudge of support when he came to stand next to me. He gave me the barest hint of a smile in thanks.

"Anyone else have some form of protest they would like to share?" Pops questioned, and we all shook our heads, answering with a respectful, "No sir." Pops surveyed us all, and after apparently seeing no trace of anger or defiance in any of us he let out a breath and pinched the bridge of his nose.

As I had anticipated, the old guy looked pretty worn out. His shoulders were slouched momentarily before he straightened himself up and turned his attention back on us. He'd lost the really stern look and his voice wasn't so scary anymore when he asked, "How many of you knew what Bella had done?"

Looks were exchanged before we all raised our hands. Pops nodded, seemingly unsurprised before then asking, "Did any of you know before?"

Surprised looks were exchanged this time before we all shook our heads negatively, and Pops eyed us momentarily before letting out a breath and nodding.

"That's good," he said in relief, "it'll makes things easier." We said nothing, realizing that if any of us had known what our baby sis had been up to we'dve been getting our tails busted right about now.

"Look, you all know why you're here. You know what I'm upset about," he began to say. "Every single one of you knew that Bella had snuck out and that she had almost killed a group of humans. You all knew yet you said nothing to either your mother or me."

"Dad," Alice spoke up, "she was upset and she didn't want you to find out because she was afraid of the whipping you'd give her."

"Besides," I added, "you know we don't nark on each other, that's just not…" I suddenly trailed off, falling silent at the sharp look my father gave me.

"I understand you kids like to stick together and keep each other from landing in trouble," Pops lectured in increasing anger, "but I'd have hoped you would have had enough sense to know when some things shouldn't be kept a secret. Bella broke my number one rule for her. She endangered not only the lives of those humans, but of everyone in this family. She could have exposed us."

"Bella knew that though," Edward valiantly defended. "She was sorry about what happened and promised she'd never sneak out again, so we felt you didn't need to know."

Pop's sharp eyes landed on him and Edward flinched as Pops said, "Bella did not know any of this! Her biggest concern was only of her loss of control, and not of the consequences her actions could have had. This was not some minor mistake she made, like a broken vase or disrespectful words, this was _serious_, and I would've expected all of you to realize that."

"We did realize," my brave mate said somewhat defiantly, "but Bella was already sorry and repentant enough. Telling you would have only made things worse."

"That was not your decision to make!" Pops yelled angrily, and we were all shifting nervously now, giving each other worried glances. Aw man, you know things are real bad when the old man starts shouting. "You are supposed to look out for each other, and protect each other, _but not from me_!" he hissed. "I am not the enemy here. Bella needed to talk to someone about what had happened, and I just don't understand how you all failed to see that, especially you Edward. She has been suffering needlessly these past two weeks over what happened, and I can't believe none of you saw that."

"We did see how guilty she was, but we just felt that was all the more reason to not tell ya. She was sorry 'bout what she' done, so she didn't need punishment," Jasper tried to explain. Pops looked at him now and coldly asked, "Would that have worked for you?" Jasper looked momentarily taken aback, his eyes widening slightly before his entire expression turned guilty. "No sir," he mumbled ashamedly as he lowered his head.

"When I choose to spank you," our father stated, "it is not only to teach you a lesson, but to help absolve you of your guilt. You all know this, so why couldn't you have allowed Bella that chance?"

I looked down in guilt now as well, feeling like an absolute schmuck. He was right. We'd all noticed how Bella was only getting worse, but we'd all stubbornly felt that she would get over this. We felt she was being ridiculous, and that she should count her lucky stars that our folks didn't know. How could we have been so damn blind? We'd been looking to help our little sis, but we'd only made things worse.

Pops began to speak once more with much less anger, but more disappointment. "I truly love the way you all band together. I love how you look out for one another and protect each other, but sometimes you take it too far. I know you have some unwritten sibling code of honor that says you don't tell on each other, but you're all smart enough to know that sometimes rules are meant to be broken. This was _definitely_ one of those times. Not only because of the guilt she needed help with, but because this was a very serious offense she committed. This was _not_ something that should not be addressed. You all should have known better than her how much worse things could've turned out had Emmett not been there. I know you don't like to land each other into trouble, and I know you'd be afraid that she'd hate you for telling, but it would have been the right thing to do."

"Why are you putting all the blame on us?" Rose protested, and I barely refrained from groaning out loud. Pops had obviously gotten to her, and since she didn't want to feel guilty she was trying to foist the guilt somewhere else. "It was Bella who broke your rule."

Pops wasn't at all pleased with my Rosie's words, and she seemed to realize this too because when he took two menacing steps towards her she promptly hunched down, her countenance turning apologetic instead of defiant.

"I am not pinning all the blame on you, Rosalie Lillian," Dad responded frostily. "In case it escaped your memory you will recall that your little sister was just soundly spanked for her behavior, yet you stand here receiving nothing more than a lecture. That could be quickly rectified, if you would prefer."

Rosalie swallowed nervously before shaking her head and sincerely saying, "No sir, and I'm sorry about what I said, I didn't mean it."

"I know," was the only answer he gave before stepping away from my mate. I relaxed, knowing she had just escaped a bullet. I quickly took her hand in mine and gave it a comforting squeeze as she still looked a little shaky. She presented a haughty façade, but I knew she took Pop's reprimands real hard. She hated disappointing him.

"I want your word," Pops spoke seriously, "that you will never keep something of this magnitude from me again, consequences be damned. I cannot help you or protect you if I don't know what's going on. You can attempt to hide broken walls and you can attempt to convince your mother to keep your childish antics to herself, but something like this you will_ never keep secret again_, am I understood?"

A prompt chorus of "Yes sir", "we promise", and "we understand" were heard around the room.

"Good," Pops replied, pinning us all with a foreboding look, "and now I will make a promise to you." I really wished he wouldn't, I couldn't help but think.

"If anything like this happens ever again, I promise you that those keeping the secret will suffer the same consequences as the offending party," he declared, and though a few groans were heard none of us dared offer a word of protest.

"You are all older and more experienced than Bella and I expect you to act like it," he stated. "Be a good example and protect her, even if it means protecting her from herself, understood?"

Once again we all answered, "Yes sir, we understand." Jeez, Pops was right. He was always right. We'd been absolute loons. Well, I resolved to myself, this won't happen again. I'll be the best big brother ever and I'll make sure to keep her safe and sound, even if it means turning her into the parents for a little discipline.

Pops kept his stern gaze on us for several moments before finally relenting when we all couldn't help but shift around nervously. His face was calmer now and more kind as he then said, "Before I let you go I just want you to know that while I disagree with your choices I am proud of the obvious love you all feel for Bella. Misguided as your efforts were, you all sought to help her, and I thank you for that."

Now we were all the ones relaxing as we gave the guy and each other hesitant smiles. It seemed the punishment was over and Pops was keen to get us to relax around him. That's the way he did it. Sharp words and sometimes a painful hand first followed by soothing words and a comforting hand afterwards.

"Alright, all of you but Emmett can clear out now," he declared, and breaths of relief were let out by all except me. They all gave me concerned, sympathetic looks but weren't about to stick around to find out what I'd done. Rose hesitated, but after I pushed her towards the door she reluctantly began to follow my siblings out., but not before giving me one last loving look. They had just opened the door and were stepping out when crafty, conniving Pops casually called out, "And one more thing, you're all grounded for the next three weeks. I want all your car keys, game systems, computers, phones, iPods, and anything else electronic on my desk when you report tomorrow morning for your list of chores."

Loud groans were heard from all of us, but before any word of complaint was heard Pops stated in the same casual voice, "_Any_ word of complaint or protest and I will make it a month." Well damn, that shut us all up real quick, and it was a sullen bunch of kids with mutinous looks on their faces that trooped out of this office.

"Don't take this as a complaint or word of protest," I couldn't help but say, "But that was cruel. You make us feel like crap with that lecture, and right when we're thinking we're done being punished, Bam! You come out with that little tidbit. Do the words cruel and unusual punishment mean anything to you?"

Pops raised an eyebrow at me, a slight smirk on his face as he responded, "Believe it or not, I'm quite familiar with that phrase."

I huffed, not at all looking forward to the next three weeks. This was going to royally suck! I hated being grounded! I'd almost volunteer for a tanning, but I knew Pops would never agree and I'd regret the choice if for some odd reason he did.

"Why am I here?" I decided to ask somewhat moodily, and Pops stated, "I want to hear your perspective on what happened two weeks ago; and don't leave anything out because Bella didn't."

Oh hell, I thought nervously. I'm 99% sure that means he knows about those swats I gave Bella. Crap, crap, crap! Alright, alright, just play it cool Cullen, just play it cool. Take a breath and answer the man's question. Tell him what happened. Don't let him see how nervous you are.

Following my advice, I took a breath before sporting an easy grin as I recounted what happened. I didn't bother keeping secret anything Bella had done not only because of the reaming we'd just gotten, but because I knew my baby sis enough to know that she wouldn't have held anything back when confessing to Pops. He kept silent as I spoke, his expression calm, but not really revealing what he was thinking or feeling. I had finally gotten to the part where I'd swatted Bella, and I was finding it increasingly difficult to maintain my casual air.

To hell with it, just spit it out, I told myself. Be honest and take whatever punishment he gives. You felt you'd done right at the time. It certainly did the trick and got Bella to calm down and listen to you.

"Look Pops, I'm sure Bella already told you that I swatted her at this point. I know you gotta be angry with me, but you weren't there. You didn't see how out of control she got, and damn, but she'd started running right towards another group of humans! I wasn't sure I'd be able to stop her again if she didn't gain some control of herself, so-so when she refused to hunt or even listen to me I-I just did what I figured you'd do," I confessed nervously, avoiding his gaze. "I apologized immediately afterwards, and she assured me that I didn't really hurt her. I didn't hit very hard, you see as I was just trying to get her attention more than anything, and-and"—

"Okay, enough son, relax," Pops interjected gently and somewhat amused as he laid two hands on my shoulders. "I'm not angry with you," he stated, and I gave him a skeptical look.

"You're not?" I questioned, looking for clarification.

"No Em, I'm not. Truth be told," he said, "I am incredibly proud of you right now." I gave him a shocked look to which he just smiled. He moved one of his hands up to the back of my neck and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"You saved your little sister from herself. You stopped her from killing those humans, and you brought her back under control. You behaved admirably. You knew there were more humans in the area so you insisted she hunt and when she didn't, you didn't relent. You didn't listen to her pleads. You acted like a good older brother, and despite feeling guilty about it, you forced her to do the right thing; and if it took a couple of swats, then so be it. I don't recommend you make a habit of this, but in this scenario it was the right thing to do; and exactly as I would've done."

"Oh," I mumbled, feeling a bit overwhelmed. It wasn't often my father looked at me with such fierce pride, and it felt really good. I was also deeply relieved to know he wasn't upset with me, and that he approved of my actions. I took my role as big brother very seriously, but I worried often that I wasn't very good at it as often I was the one dragging my siblings into trouble rather than getting them out of it.

It seemed Pops was reading my mind at this point because he said quite seriously, "You are a fantastic older brother to not only Bella, but all your siblings. I know how much this family means to you, and I know how fiercely protective you are of all of us. I know you'd go to any lengths to keep us safe, and I truly admire that."

"I'm not that great," I couldn't help but confess in embarrassment. "I mean I'm a goofball, more often dragging them into trouble than keeping them away from it. Ed and Jazz are ten times more mature"—

"Stop that Emmett Dale," Pops scolded, giving me a slight shake. "How many times must I tell you not to compare yourself to your brothers? I don't want you to be like them because I love you just the way you are. And yes, you are a bit of a goofball, and you do drag your siblings into quite a bit of mischief, but it's always childish fun. Never have you endangered any of them or dragged them into situations that could put humans at risk. Anyways, I don't expect you to be mature and grown up all the time, son. That's my job."

I gave a short chuckle as I responded, "You do a damn good job of it."

"Thank you," he replied with a bit of a cheeky grin, and I smiled.

"What I am trying to get at," Pops continued, "is that I really appreciate and admire how seriously you take your job as the oldest, and that I trust if anything were to ever happen to me, you'd step up as man of the house. Esme would be in charge ultimately, but you would be her second in command."

I gasped at his words, looking at him in complete shock. I was flabbergasted that he would ask _me_ of all people to do this. I wasn't the best choice. Edward was his first born anyhow, and Jasper had tons more experience than I did at leading. I was not a good fit, no siree. I told my thoughts to Pops and he just shook his head.

"You are the best choice, Em," he stated confidently. "Edward is too rash and emotional, his temper getting the better of him all too often, and besides, he himself admits he would not make a good leader. As for Jasper, he has experience yes, but that experience is in leading an army. Also, when I talked to him about this he told me he wouldn't have wanted the position anyway. He never enjoyed being in charge. From what you've told me of your human life, you have experience in leading a family, and that is exactly what we are. You look out for them and you're always there to help cheer them up. And don't think it's escaped my notice how anytime Esme and I aren't around how you automatically take charge. Your siblings used to complain, but haven't you noticed how they automatically respond to your decisions or how they look up to you. Their complaints stopped long ago because they recognize how good of a job you do."

"If by good job you mean coming back to a destroyed living room, Edward sporting green hair, Jasper wearing nothing but a confederate flag, Alice and Rosalie sporting war paint, and me throwing up in the bathroom because I decided to see how much human food I could eat, well, then I do a damn fine job," I retorted with a smirk that quickly turned into a full blown smile when Dad began to laugh.

"I remember that," he stated fondly, a reminiscent smile on his face before stating more seriously, "I mean good job by the fact that I came home to see all my children happy, safe, and sound. I don't expect you to be me Emmett. I don't expect you to stop having fun or getting into mischief. You guys are decades old, but you're still kids and while I'm not always pleased with the ridiculous antics you lot get yourself into, most of the time it's all harmless fun."

I looked down in embarrassment once more, feeling warmth spread through me though at how highly Pops thought of me. "Thanks," I told him, somewhat choked up, "glad to know you appreciate all my hard work. Does this mean you're going to stop punishing us for all the harmless fun?"

Pops gave me a charming smile before answering, "Absolutely not."

I let out a dramatic sigh, muttering, "It was worth a shot," before grinning back at my old man and giving him a semi-light shove. Pops immediately shoved me back, and we ended up having a little shove match until I stumbled into the wall, causing of one of the paintings to fall off. Thankfully, both Pops and I managed to grab hold of it before it crashed to the floor. We both let out sighs of relief before sharing sheepish grins.

"Your mother would've had both our tails if that broke. She is particularly fond of this painting," Pops whispered to me, and I found it amusing how nervous he suddenly looked. Sometimes I wondered who really wore the pants in that relationship, but then I reminded myself that if this had been something of Rose's I would've been feeling the same way. We quickly righted the painting, putting it right back the way it was before stepping away. Pops clapped me on the shoulder and asked, "Can I trust you Emmett, to take charge if someday I'm no longer around?"

I felt all amusement leave me, feeling more than a little emotional at the thought of ever losing my dad. He was looking at me with expectant eyes, and I realized this was actually weighing on him. He really wanted to prepare in case something bad ever happened to him. Well, I wasn't going to let him down. "You can count on me, Pops," I told him determinedly, and my words were greeted with a wide, proud smile before he wrapped his arms around me.

"Thank you," he whispered into my ear before saying, "I love you, son."

Tears that I refused to let fall pricked at the edges of my eyes as I responded, "I love you too, Pops." We pulled away after that, and I chose to glare at the man and issue a warning. "I give you my word Pops, but I don't plan on having to carry that out anytime soon, or in fact ever, so you had better take good care of yourself. This family could survive without you, but I'm not sure we'd ever learn to really live again."

Pops eyes were very serious as he replied, "You would, and you would be there to help them."

I was floored by the amount of faith he seemed to have in me. I was a confident guy, but still, I wasn't sure I would be able to meet his expectations. Let's just hope we never had to find out.

"I don't expect you to act different than you already do, son," Pops added, and I felt a bit of relief. "Just continue to be yourself and do what you do best. I will, however, be teaching you a few things concerning vampire law and coven dynamics. Things you need to know when coming across nomads or when dealing with the Volturi."

I nodded my head in understanding, eager to please my father and show him that he really could count on me.

"We good Pops?" I questioned after a few beats of silence, more than ready to get out and to my Rose.

"Not quite, there's still the matter of you having lied to me Em, or did you think I hadn't noticed?" Pops said with a raised eyebrow.

Oh no, I thought, I'd completely forgotten about that. Damn Pops, why do you always gotta lure us into a false sense of security before hitting us with these kinds of things?

"Look Pops, I'm sorry about the lying, but I was just looking"- I fell silent when Pops held up his hand.

"Yes, I heard all about it earlier. You were looking out for her and protecting her, and all that foolishness. Sweet as your actions were to your sister, they are anything but to me," Pops stated. "You know how I feel about lying. It is disrespectful and makes it hard for me to trust anything you guys say to me."

That last statement really hit me. I valued my Pop's trust, and I wouldn't be able to stand it if I lost it. "Aww Papa, I'm real sorry. I never meant to be disrespectful with you, and I hope you know that you can still trust me. It's just Bella is my baby sis, and when she looks at me with those pleading eyes, I just can't say no. And I couldn't stand the thought of her getting a whippin, but...but I shoulda told you," I spoke repentantly.

This really bites. I hated letting Pops down, especially after all the nice things he'd just said about me. "Should I be bending over the couch now?" I decided to ask solemnly, determined to accept my punishment without a fuss.

Dad studied me for a few seconds before nodding his head. I groaned internally before doing as told. Putting my hands on the button of my jeans I was about to unbutton them when he told me to just leave them up. I felt a jolt of surprise, but not one to look a gift horse in the mouth I just let it go and bent over.

"Emmett," Dad stated quite sternly as he put a hand on my back, "I don't like being lied to."

"I know Pops, and I'm sorry," I replied, bracing myself for the inevitable burn. Unfortunately, there was never enough time to prepare and my dad's iron hand came down hard.

_SWAT! SWAT! SWAT!_

I let out a loud gasp, caught completely off guard by the intensity of those three smacks. Oh man, he must be really pissed if he's starting off this hard. I gritted my teeth at this point, screwing my eyes shut as I waited for the rest, but instead of feeling a sharp sting I felt a gentle hand on my upper back.

"Alright, you can stand up now, Bear," Pops stated, and when I did I couldn't help but stare at him in complete astonishment.

"Wha-That's it?" I couldn't stop from asking, and Dad smiled kindly at me as he responded, "My pride in how you handled the situation with Bella far outweighs any disappointment I feel over the lying. You know it was wrong, but I am content to let it slide this time. I do hope you will remember these three swats though and how hard they were the next time you consider lying for your mate or siblings because if I have to deal with this kind of situation again your entire spanking will be at that intensity, are we clear?."

"Yes sir," I said respectfully, not able to believe my luck. Dad nodded his head at me before giving me a shove towards his door.

"Now, get out of here and go spend some last minutes with your precious electronics," he stated, and I didn't need to be told twice.

Nearly running out of the room, I looked back before exiting, yelled, "Love ya Pops, thanks!" before rushing towards my beloved mate.

**Bella's POV:**

_1 hour prior_

Dad was literally helping me into some pajama pants when Mom burst into my room. We both froze as Mom glanced from my apologetic face to Dad's nervous one. "You have children anxiously awaiting your arrival," Mom said shortly to Dad as I carefully lifted the pants over my very tender backside. Dad sighed at her words, gave me one last loving kiss on the head and then left.

I nervously looked down at the floor, unsure if Mom would be angry with me or not over how I'd treated her earlier. It seemed my worry was for naught though because when she wrapped her arms around me, her voice was loving and concerned as she said, "Oh Bella, how are you, sweetheart? Can you ever forgive me?"

I very happily returned the hug before exclaiming, "Forgive you for what? You didn't do anything, Mom, it was me. You were kind and understanding with me, and you knew that confessing to Dad what I'd done was the best thing for me, and you were absolutely right. Can you forgive me for being such an ungrateful brat?"

"Of course I can," she replied instantly, giving me another motherly hug. When she pulled away, she looked me over with a critical eye before asking, "Are you alright? He wasn't too hard on you, was he?"

"Of course not, Mama," I responded. "He gave me no more than I deserved, even going a little easy," I informed her. "He only gave me two licks of the belt instead of the five he had planned, so I was lucky."

Mom furrowed her brow in confusion before letting out a relieved sigh. "Are you terribly sore?" she questioned, placing a kiss on my forehead.

"Well yeah," I couldn't help but answer honestly. "Sitting won't be any fun for a long time, but I learned my lesson."

Mom looked sad at my words and I knew it was because she hated the thought of any of her children in pain, even when they deserved it. She smoothed back my hair lovingly and said, "I hope you mean that, Bella, because I don't want anymore incidences like this to happen again. When I think of all the things that could've gone wrong, well," she paused momentarily giving a sigh. "I'm sorry, I'm sure your dad lectured you enough. I'm just here to offer you some comfort."

I smiled brightly at Mom before eagerly holding my arms out to her. She laughed as she pulled me towards her, mumbling, "Whose comforting who?" into my ear.

I was about to respond when I heard Dad yelling. I tensed, both Mom and I looking towards the door as we heard Dad yell a little more. He sounded really angry, and I was suddenly worried for Edward and my siblings. "He told me he was only going to talk to them," I told Mom, and she grimaced as she replied, "Yelling is a form of talking. I'm sure he has a very good reason for raising his voice. Carlisle isn't one for shouting unless he wants to make a point."

We relaxed when we heard no more yelling, and I waited anxiously for Edward's appearance. I wanted to know what Dad had said to them. It was a few more minutes before we heard a chorus of loud groans and the sound of several feet no doubt shuffling out of Dad's office. I wondered what the groaning was about before looking up with a sheepish smile when Edward opened the door.

His worried eyes immediately locked onto mine before we both raced into each other's arms. "Are you alright?" I immediately asked, and he gave me a bewildered look as he asked back, "What do you mean am I alright? Are you alright? Dad wasn't too hard on you, right? Are you really sore? Oh, I'm so sorry this happened," he stated, and I promptly kissed him on the lips, willing him to feel my love for him. He'd been so good and understanding with me these past several weeks and I had treated him horribly. I wanted him to know and feel all the love I felt for him and I felt this was the quickest way.

He eagerly returned my kiss, both of us forgetting that Mom was in the room. Thankfully, she had more tact than Emmett would have in this situation and stealthily slipped out of the room without our even noticing. It was a very good thing too because within seconds we were both unclothed, Edward offering me the comfort and love only a husband could provide.

**Esme's POV:**

I realized the second my son burst into the room that I had just become invisible. The way those two were looking at each other, I figured the best thing to do would be for me to just leave them alone, and it was none too soon either because when I was but a foot away from their room I heard the sound of them landing on the bed. Really not wanting to hear anything else I literally ran downstairs to wait for my husband to come find me.

It was another forty five minutes before I felt a faint breeze and caught the familiar scent of my love. Standing up and looking behind me I found Carlisle with his shoulders slumped and his eyes apologetic as he nervously shifted from one foot to another. He expected me to be angry, but I'd already forgiven him. I walked to him, wrapped my arms around the neck and asked, "Rough day?"

Carlisle searched my expression for what I was feeling before relaxing into my embrace and offering up a tired smile. "You could say that," he responded. "Your point was well received, by the way," he remarked, "but next time I'd appreciate a little warning."

"Next time you won't be so oblivious to the going-ons of your family," I told him with a knowing smile. He let out a mild groan, leaning his head down onto my shoulder. "You're mean," he complained petulantly, and I chuckled softly as I ran my hand through his hair.

"Well, since I am so mean I guess you won't want my comfort," I responded, beginning to push him away, but when I got a look at his kicked puppy expression my heart melted and I dropped the teasing.

"Oh darling, let's get you fed," I suggested kindly, "and then we can talk about what happened."

Carlisle seemed to perk up at my words, giving me a grateful look before following me out the door and into the woods.

One quick hunt later and an impromptu game of catch me if you can, Carlisle and I were lying on the ground with me securely ensnared in his arms. His face was buried in my hair taking deep breaths. I knew he found my scent to be as soothing as I found his.

"Bella is perfectly fine, you know," I told him, causing him to break away enough so he could look at me.

"I know," he said, but there was still a look of sadness in his eyes.

"Was it very difficult?" I asked in sympathy, and his look of sadness increased as he answered, "It's always difficult."

"Did she fight you?" I then asked, and he hesitated briefly before answering, "Overall she handled it very well. The only resistance I got from her came during the spanking when she attempted to escape my grasp. The pain was too much for her, but that was what I was going for, so…," he trailed off, a look of self-loathing entering his eyes.

"Carlisle Cullen, you stop this negative thinking right now young man, do you hear me," I suddenly scolded quite sternly, giving his ear a sharp tug.

"Ow, Esme!" he complained as he rubbed his ear and gave me a reproachful look.

"Don't look at me like that," I told him, waving my finger at him. "You are not to feel guilty over the punishment you gave Bella, not at all. She deserved her spanking, and you and I both know that. No one is angry with you and no one thinks you went too far. In fact, according to Bella you went easy on her by not giving her as many licks with the belt as you had intended."

"She would never have felt the need to break her promise to me if I'd just spent more time with her. I should've taken her out more, I should've"—

I had heard enough. Placing my hand over his mouth I gave my husband a stern but loving look as I said, "Carlisle, you must stop doing this to yourself. Bella made her own decision, disregarding everything she'd been taught when she went out. Yes, you should have spent more time with her," I acknowledged, "but in the end Bella is the sole cause of her predicament. Besides, you've delayed Bella's exposure to humans for a good reason. You didn't want her to have an accident like Edward, Emmett, and even I had as a newborn."

My husband nodded, his eyes showing understanding, so I released my hand from his mouth. Letting out a sigh, he then greeted me with an adoring smile. He said nothing, but no words were necessary as I knew his heart.

"I told Bella that next Friday I'd take her on a weeklong hunting/camping trip, just the two of us," Carlisle informed me, and I gave him a surprised look. "I think it's time I teach her a few lessons on what being a vampire is all about. Some practical experience will do her good, and help build her confidence back up. I also think it will do us both some good to spend some time together. I'm sorry I've neglected you all these past several months, but I think my absence has proven worse for Bella than anyone else, and I aim to rectify that."

"You don't have to explain anything to me, darling, because I am in full agreement," I said. "I think this trip is exactly what the both of you need. Did Bella seem excited?"

"Oh yes she did," Carlisle replied with a bright smile. "She was nearly bouncing off the walls in from how happy she was. She called me the best dad in the world," he told me, his chest puffing out proudly.

Good job, Bella, I thought lovingly as I graced my husband with a fond look. "You are the best dad in the world," I agreed full heartedly, leaning towards him for a kiss. He met me half way, eliciting a small moan when my hand wandered below the belt.

"You know what, love?" Carlisle questioned breathlessly after breaking apart from the kiss. I gave him a distracted, "Hmm?" as I found myself lost looking into his hungry eyes.

"I think this conversation would be more productive if we were wearing less clothes," he stated simply, and I grinned widely as I said, "Finally you're starting to talk sense."

**A/N: **Alright, so this is the end of _Naughty Newborn!_ Hurray! So, my fave part of this chapter was definitely the interaction between Emmett and Carlisle. I am quite curious as to what you all thought of their talk. I've read so many fics that have Carlisle asking Edward and more commonly Jasper to be his second in command and all that, so I wanted to do something different and give Emmett a little lime light. Now Carlisle didn't really ask him to be second in command per se, but almost. This was just Carlisle's way of showing his pride and trust in his eldest son, and instilling a little bit more responsibility in him. Interesting concept, if I do say so myself. Anyhow, the rest of this chapter I feel isn't my best work, but I just didn't want to drag things on like I tend to normally do. So, tell me your thoughts, and as always, PLEASE REVIEW!

By the way, I am hard at work on _Past and Present_. Definitely going to be quite epic and long. Originally only an Alice story, Jasper refused to stay out of the limelight and now it's looking like Carlisle wants to share a little too. Tsk tsk! Those boys!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Twilight

**A/N: **Hey all! I decided to write one more little chapter for this story revealing a little of what Carlisle and Bella got up to while on their camping trip, and also Bella's reaction to Carlisle's little fall from grace as he likes to call it. Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 7: Vampire Lessons with Dad**

**Bella's POV:**

Today was day 6 of my spectacular camping trip with Dad. We were in Canada now at his and Mom's cottage getting cleaned up. This was the first shower I'd had since we left home and it felt nice to get all the dirt from living in the woods for 5 days off of me. Today was our last day together before we'd head home, and I really didn't want this trip to end. I missed my family, especially Edward terribly, but the time I had spent with my father had been simply too amazing to properly describe.

We had been all over Canada and Dad had shown me magnificent waterfalls, breathtaking mountain views, gorgeous meadows, stunning forests and beautiful lakes. These are places I'd never have been able to imagine, and most were still untouched by human hands. This sightseeing would have made my week-long trip memorable enough, but Dad had kept his word and had taught me more about my vampire instincts and abilities.

After the fiasco from three weeks ago I'd become afraid of myself and what I was capable of. I never wanted to let my vampire instincts take control, and only did so with hunting because I knew I'd be worse if I allowed my thirst to get out of control.

Dad had been kind understanding, of course. When wasn't he? He had soothed my concerns and instilled in me enough confidence to try and overcome my fears. I trusted him with everything I had, so I knew he wouldn't lead me astray.

Our first day of the trip had been spent mostly traveling and talking. Dad had basically explained everything he knew about vampires in terms of physiology, abilities, and especially instincts. He had used his own life and experiences as examples for me, so not only was I learning about vampires but I was learning about him as well; and learning that he was not as infallible as I imagined.

He too had struggled enormously with his thirst as a newborn. In fact, he had added, to this day there were times when it would still get to him. "The burn never goes away," he explained. "I've grown so accustomed to it that I barely notice it anymore. It's only when I fail to hunt as often as I should that my own inner beast starts to rear its head up."

"Your control is perfect," I had told him with a bit of awe in my tone. "You have never even tasted human blood. Even as a newborn you were able to fight your instincts and run away. Now that I know what that's like, your story seems all the more incredible."

Dad smiled kindly and thanked me for my praise. "But I have tasted human blood, Bella," he informed me, and I stared at him in shock. "The first time was when I turned Edward. That was the first time I'd ever bitten a human, and the urge to drink was overpowering. You see, because I wasn't quite sure how to create another vampire I set about recreating my injuries from the night I was turned. There was a lot of blood and when I bit him I momentarily gave in," he recounted, swallowing heavily at the mere memory. "Of course I was obviously able to stop, but it was one of the most difficult things I have ever done. The same thing happened with Rosalie. When I came upon her it had been some time since I'd hunted, and she was bleeding heavily. I was in a hurry to change her and not as prepared as I should have been to resist the temptation. Once again though, I was able to stop."

Dad had paused momentarily before then saying, "The third time was nearly fatal. It was 1984 and Jasper had been out hunting when he slipped. He had come upon two hikers, a father and daughter. He killed the father first, but only managed to land a bite on the girl before we got him under control. When I checked upon the girl I knew right away that she was undergoing the transformation." He grimaced now, a look of pain crossing his face. "I could have let her change, but she was too young, only 10 or 11 years old, and she would have been killed for being an immortal child. We would have of course taken her in and protected her, but that would have meant all our deaths as well. The other option would have been to kill her before the venom completed its work, but I just couldn't bring myself to do that. She was an innocent child and I am no murderer." He had paused momentarily, eyes distant as he recalled his dilemma.

"Do you remember when you were bitten by James?" he asked, and I nodded my head, realization of what he had done coming to mind. "You sucked out the venom like Edward did with me."

"Yes," he answered with a nod. "I had no idea if it would even work, or if I would just end up killing her, but I had to do something. If there was even the slimmest chance that I could save her life, then I would try it. I bit her and I drank her blood, but unlike with Edward and Rosalie I didn't take just a little. I had to keep drinking until all the venom was gone, and the more I drank the more I began to lose control." He had looked down at that point, still seemingly ashamed by his apparent failure. I didn't see it that way though. I knew he'd been able to stop, but even if he hadn't I could never have been disappointed in him. He tried something no other vampire had ever done in order to save a life. He should be proud.

"Edward and Rosalie were the only ones there, and it was them who were able to help me regain control of who I was," Dad continued. "They spoke words of encouragement and love and confidence until I was able to pull away. The venom had long since been sucked out, I could tell from her scent, but now she was in fear of dying from blood loss. Since I'd still been reeling from what had happened, and still attempting to come back to myself, Edward had taken the girl to the hospital while Rosalie stayed to help me."

The second and third day of our trip Dad had taught me how to embrace my vampire side, and how to control it. Some of it had been hard while other parts had been pretty fun. He'd first gotten me to go hunting, and right when I'd pounced on my prey he would get in the way. I'd be so immersed in my vampire side that 9 times out of 10 I couldn't help but look at him as a threat and treat him as such. The first several times I'd tried to attack him, and then I settled for just growling. It'd taken nearly a day before I'd managed to react with nothing more than a startled hiss before coming back to myself. Dad had been incredibly proud of me, and so had I.

In order to get me to embrace my vampire side he had showed me everything I was capable of, and how to use my new skills to the best of my ability. He demonstrated speed and agility by playing tag with me all through the thick forest. He demonstrated the use of my sense of smell, hearing, and sight by playing hide and go seek. Our playing range had been a 100 mile radius, a bit more intense than the household version I'd use to play with Renee. As for strength, he showed me exactly how much stronger than him I was at the moment with a simple arm wrestle. He began to teach me how to fight, teaching me not to rely solely on my strength and speed like most vampires, but to learn strategy.

"Brain over brawn, Bella, remember that," Dad had lectured. "So many grow accustomed to how much stronger and faster they are than humans, that they seem to forget that all vampires hold the same gift, so essentially when two vampires fight it's like two humans fighting. You need to have skill and strategy. You need to out think your opponent, but you also need to learn to embrace your vampire instincts. Embrace that animal nature to its fullest, but keep it under _your_ control. Don't let it control you."

My training sessions hadn't gone all that great, I recalled sheepishly. I was afraid of hurting Dad and I'd just never been one for fighting before. Dad was ultra patient with me though and instead of pushing me into wrestling he had settled on demonstrating to me what I should do in different situations.

Day 4 and 5 were the toughest because that was when I was prepared to be near humans. Dad had told me everything he could to help prepare me and to help me keep control, but in the end he said the best practice, unfortunately was exposure. There was no substitute. However, being the genius that he was instead of taking me near any humans right away he had packed several vials of human blood to test me first. I'm embarrassed to admit, that when he took the stopper off the first vial I had charged him. Thankfully, he'd been expecting this, so after throwing the vial as far as he could he had caught me around the middle and whispered words of encouragement to me as I had desperately tried to escape his grasp.

"You are in control, Bella. This is your body and your mind. Acknowledge your instincts. Acknowledge your urges. Don't deny what you are. Embrace it and take control of it," he had said. "I know it burns, baby. I know it hurts. I know every fiber of your being is aching for that blood, but you are stronger than this."

His words had been a huge help in bringing me back, but as he'd said before, it was going to take _a lot_ of practice. His words helped, but I would have to be able to function enough when around human blood to tell myself the same thing. We had tried the blood test with the vials a few more times and I had succeeded in ignoring it after the third try. Dad had been so proud of me, hugging and kissing me on the cheek making me feel so happy.

It was Day 5 that we put this bit of control to the test by going near an actual human. Dad had scouted out a very rural area, and had found a small ranch with only a single, elderly man living there. To test my control he had me slowly approach the house while the human was inside sleeping. We had no intentions of entering the house, but the man's scent permeated the area and served as a good first test. Dad had settled himself on the man's porch, ready to block any attempts of me to enter the house as he had me slowly walk towards him. He had warned me that any sudden movements on my part whether accidental or not would be treated as a threat, so I had made sure to watch my every movement.

The nearer I had gotten to the man's house, the stronger his scent had gotten and the more my throat had burned. It was as though someone had lit a match in my throat and set it on fire. I had been so thirsty, but as those thoughts began to enter my mind I quickly shut them out, focusing instead on the memory of my father's encouraging words and making them my own.

You can do this Bella, I had thought to myself. You are stronger than your instincts. Dad believes in you.

I had been so focused on these positive thoughts that before I knew it I was walking up the porch steps and into my father's embrace. We hadn't dawdled long as it had been becoming harder and harder for me to keep control, but I hadn't been able to keep the smile off my face at my success, and neither could Dad.

I was obviously still a long way from being able to go near humans on a regular basis, but it was a great start, Dad had said as he'd looked at me with obvious pride.

Day 6 had been spent pretty much just sightseeing and having fun. Dad had regaled me with hilarious tales of my family from before I had joined them. He told me of various prank wars that Edward and my siblings had gotten into, and even a few times he and Mom had gotten involved. I had loved seeing my father as he told me these stories because his face had been so alive, joyful, and happy. He actually looked his 23 years and I once more caught sight of his mischievous, playful side that I hadn't witnessed since I'd been human.

It wasn't until the late afternoon that the stories took a more serious and somber tone when Dad had begun telling me stories from his youth. I had assured him at the time he didn't have to tell me anything he didn't want to. There had been a time when I wanted to know all I could about his human past, but once I'd learned of his abusive father I knew his childhood had been anything but fun so I no longer wished to know.

Dad told me the stories anyways, saying the rest of the family knew so it was only right that I should. He'd told me of the abuse, the hatred, the pain, the anger, and the hurt. He told me about his arrogance, his lying, and his rebellious attitude. He told me about Ariana and Sarah, and how he'd nearly killed his own father. Then and now those stories still brought tears to my eyes. I couldn't fathom my sweet, loving daddy suffering through such horror, and especially suffering through it alone.

Telling me this had caused my father pain, but he had insisted that I needed to know. "I tell you this not to cause you pain, baby girl, but so that you can get to know me. So you can know where I came from, who I was, and why I am the way I am now. I want you to understand me, and I want you to know that I was young and foolish and rash. I was and still am far from perfect," he had stated, staring me straight in the eyes with imploring eyes.

We had arrived at his cottage shortly afterwards, both dispersing to different bedrooms to shower and change. Our last night would be spent relaxing here with Dad finally telling me the promised story of his apparently very memorable spanking from Mom. When he had first mentioned this story to me last week I had been shocked and rather amused, but the more I thought about it the more I felt bad about that amusement. Whatever would have pushed my gentle mother into giving my dad a whipping had to have been bad, and I could only imagine the pain they both suffered because of whatever happened.

I'd finished showering and putting on fresh clothes so I headed into the living room unsurprised to see Dad already there. He was stretched out on the love seat, his hands crossed behind his head. Music was playing in the background and he was humming along until he noticed my entrance. He gave me a grin before motioning for me to pick a seat.

I chose one of the lounge chairs, the one that smelled most like Dad and sat down. "You know you don't have to tell me this story if you don't want to. This can't be easy for you, especially after everything you've already told me about your past today," I said, giving him a sympathetic, understanding look.

"Bella, Bella, Bella," my father sighed after having given a snort of amusement, "you have such a big heart, but I assure you I am just fine. And, as with the tales of my childhood, this is another story that you need to know."

I nodded my head all the while sporting a skeptical look at the fact that he felt he was fine. I was an expert at the automatic answer of, "I'm fine" even when I was obviously anything but.

"So," I prompted, "you told me this took place in 1960 and that you lost your temper…" I gave him a curious look, truly unable to imagine him ever losing his cool. He was always so controlled and calm, rarely ever raising his voice. I was almost afraid to find out what he'd done or who had suffered his apparent wrath.

"Esme had been gone for two weeks, leaving me alone with the kids," Dad began, "and it had been an incredibly stressful two weeks for me. Work had been horrible. I'd been working nearly non-stop and there'd been this new doctor who delighted in tormenting me. He made every day nearly torture, and things didn't get easier when I got home. I hadn't realized it at the time, but my very foolish children thought it would be a good idea to push my buttons. They all acted out, arguing, whining, fighting, breaking things, getting in trouble at school, _breaking my beautiful car_," he stressed, actually giving a groan in remembrance.

I gave a brief smile at how the breaking of his car seemed like such a tragedy, but lost it quickly as he continued speaking.

"I eventually ended up grounding every single one of them, which only infuriated them and made them act out more. The little devils had no idea how effective their _game_ had been, but up until Friday, two days before Esme was due back they'd all been clever enough to not really do anything horrible enough to warrant a spanking." Dad paused at this moment, his expression turning pained as he rubbed his hand over his head. Whatever had happened he obviously still felt guilt over it.

"It'd been a very rough day for me at work. The wretched doctor who'd been tormenting me had ignored some advice I'd given him and that had resulted in the death of a young boy." I gave a gasp at his words, knowing very well how upset Dad would become any time he lost a patient, especially a child. "The pompous prick then had the audacity to blame me, and I nearly killed him."

My eyes widened in absolute shock at these words, and Dad finally sat up and looked at me. "It'd been a month since I'd hunted," he explained guiltily, "and extreme thirst coupled with all the stress I'd been under, it had been a very close call. A nurse coming into my office was what saved his life, but things didn't get better because that nurse had come in to inform me that Emmett had beaten up a boy at school and that the principal wanted to speak with me."

Oh no, I couldn't help but think already having a very good idea of where this was headed.

"He was the last straw," Dad recounted, his eyes closing. "The excuse he gave me was poor, and his blasé attitude only worsened the mood I was in. When we got home Emmett noticed my dark mood and urged me to hunt, but I refused, too angry to listen to reason. After our talk, I-I lost control," he admitted, his face a mask of misery. His eyes were still closed, his mind no doubt stuck in the past. If my heart still beat it would've been pounding from anticipation of what happened next. I didn't want to know, but I also had to know.

"I let the vampire take control and I whipped my boy. I whipped him hard and long, giving him no reassurance or comfort. I'd seen the terror in his eyes and heard his begging and cries but I hadn't stopped until I'd broken him," Dad told me, speaking very slowly and as if each word caused him actual pain.

For my part I wanted to shout at him to stop speaking. I felt sick at the thought of what Emmett went through. How had Emmett survived such a brutal experience? Just imagining myself in my brother's shoes I felt ready to die. I couldn't imagine my daddy ever doing something like that. How had Rosalie not killed him?

"When I finished and finally realized what I'd done I panicked. Emmett wouldn't let me near him and he was crying and screaming for Esme. Thankfully, my beloved decided to come home early and she rushed in at this moment to her son's aid. I, well, I ran," he said.

"You did what?!" I screeched in disbelief, finding myself angry on Emmett's behalf. Dad cringed lightly before finally opening his eyes and looking at me.

"I ran away like a coward," he confessed with a nod. I was stunned, completely floored by this part. This didn't sound like the dad I knew at all.

"I couldn't stomach what I'd done and I was certain the family would never forgive me, so I ran here. I waited for Esme to find me, fully prepared to suffer her wrath before telling her I was never coming home. Your mother though, she was having none of that," Dad recalled, a brief smile coming onto his face.

"I wasn't in the best frame of mind, suffering from so much guilt and you know that story I told you of Sarah?" he questioned and I nodded my head in remembrance.

"It was that day that that bloody memory decided to resurface. I felt I had become my father and that somehow triggered the memory. Your mom was a godsend, an absolute saint to put up with all my antics. My mood fluctuated wildly and I verbally lashed out at her multiple times," he said.

I shook my head in disbelief, unable to fathom everything he was recounting. Dad stayed silent for several long moments, no doubt lost in the memories, so I decided to speak up.

"Did you ask her to spank you?" I asked him, immensely curious as to how this method of discipline had come up.

Dad let out a short, nearly humorless laugh as he shook his head. "No," he responded. "It should have been me, but it was all Esme. And not only did she come up with the idea, but she had to convince me to submit to it because when she first brought it up I had been entirely opposed. It took quite a bit of persuasion on her part before I saw how right she was, and I gave in. Like I told you last week, it was quite the memorable experience. Your mother did not play around with me. She decided I would receive the belt and she decided how it would be. It was an extremely humiliating and painful experience for me, but it helped. I was finally able to begin to forgive myself."

My dad let out a huge sigh at this point, running his hand through his hair before focusing all his attention on me, no doubt trying to gauge my reaction. He smiled sheepishly when he saw my wide eyes and gobsmacked expression. "Not what you were expecting, was it?"

I gave a mute shake of my head.

"I told you this story Bella to reiterate what I told you earlier. I know how you children view me as some perfect being, and how you feel I expect perfection from you, but that is far from the truth," Dad informed me with a very serious look. "I've told all of you numerous times that I am far from perfect, but none of you ever seemed to believe me. It wasn't until this occasion that your siblings and Edward finally recognized the truth of my words. I am infallible. I get angry. I can lose my temper. I make mistakes, and sometimes those mistakes are quite grievous. I messed up with you, baby girl," he confessed. "I should have made an effort to spend more time with you and teach you everything I have this past week. As you realized last week, you were the one to pay the price for my mistake, and quite unfortunately, that is often what happens when I screw up. It is rarely I myself that suffer the consequences, but you children."

"You didn't make me leave the house, Daddy," I argued softly, not liking how much he was putting on himself. "I chose to disobey you, and yeah, it would've been nice if you'd spent more time with me, but ultimately the decision was mine."

"Yes," Dad agreed, "I recognize that, which is why I gave you that spanking. The point I'm trying to make, baby, is that I know I can come across as strict and harsh at times with you children, but that's only because I don't want you to make the mistakes that I have. I've lived a long time, and for nearly all of it I had no one there to guide me or tell me I was wrong. I learned through trial and error, and I suffered greatly at times for the negative choices I made. I just want the best for all of you, and I want you to try and remember this the next time you become angry with me when I give you an order you don't agree with. However, I also want you to know that I don't expect you to be perfect. I know you're going to mess up. I know you're going to get angry with me, talk back, disobey me, and generally just do all those naughty things you kids do, and that's okay. Your mom and I will be there every time to reel you back in, of course," he added with a small smirk. "Just know that I really do understand the struggles you face. I really do understand how stifling and overbearing I can be at times, and I don't want you to be afraid to approach me. Talk to me, please talk to me if you're angry at something I've done. Talk to me respectfully," he stressed, "and we might just avoid those no doubt endearing moments where you're facedown over my lap, understood?"

"I understand," I replied, and I really did. I loved that Dad had taken the time to talk to me so openly and honestly. I once more felt reconnected with him, and our bond was even stronger than before. He wasn't perfect, I told myself, but he was as close as you could get, that was for sure. It'd be really hard at times, I already knew, but I'd do the best I could to do as he said and to listen to what he told me.

It was a beautiful sentiment on my part to think this, but one I would undoubtedly be unable to keep.

Little did I know how right I was because in another 8 months I would not only break several rules, I would completely shatter them, unfortunately dragging Edward and all my siblings with me into what would come to be known as, The Week of Tears.

**A/N** Bwahahaha! A little teaser for a story I have in mind. It'll more than likely be written after Past and Present. Hope you enjoyed this little chapter! Kind of a rush job so if there are errors, I sincerely apologize. PLEASE REVIEW!


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